


Senri

by yoshiyuki



Category: BUCK-TICK
Genre: Alternate Universe - Meiji Era, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Biting, Cat, Cat/Human Hybrids, Don’t copy to another site, Human/Monster Romance, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Mythology References, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-04-10 03:43:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 49,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19078492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshiyuki/pseuds/yoshiyuki





	1. 1

Hisashi balanced the silver pipe of his kiseru in his fingers as he exhaled wafts of white smoke into the cool night air. Seated on the engawa right outside his room, Hisashi looked up at the moon in the sky looming large amidst the clouds.

In the quiet night, he listened to the chirps of insects hiding in the garden and the muffled noises of his father's discussions with a Chinese trader. The foreigner was an old acquaintance of his father's, someone he met in his younger days and had not met again until today. Well, granted, they had been exchanging letters all this while.

Hisashi brought the pipe to his lips and inhaled. Whatever their relationship was, it had nothing to do with him. That's what his father would say. He parted his lips and let the smoke escape, watching it swirl in the stillness of the night.

Stillness? Hisashi paused. Weird. He could still hear the voices of his father and the trader, but the air had gone stale, unmoving. The insects and even the wind had gone silent. He frowned. Unusual. There would, at the very least, be some sort of-

A soft, almost inaudible rustle caught Hisashi's attention, derailing his train of thought and his eyes darted towards the shrubs lining the wall on the far side of the garden. Spotting a pair of golden eyes shining in the gloom, Hisashi squinted his eyes and stared. There were cats wandering around the city but he didn't recall seeing eyes like these on any of them.

The eyes blinked, melting into the darkness for a brief moment before more rustling reached his ears and a cat with rosette markings on its back stepped out into the moonlight. There was not enough light for Hisashi to make out exactly what colour the cat was, but it was a rather large-looking cat; bigger than any stray or housecat Hisashi has ever seen. It held it's fluffy, black-ringed tail high in the air, waving it ever so slightly as it started trotting towards Hisashi without hesitation. How strange, weren't cats typically skittish around people?

As it made its way over to Hisashi, the cat appeared to exercise some sort of deliberate caution, only treading on the stepping stones laid out across the garden as if particular about keeping its paws dry from the grass still damp from this afternoon's shower. Watching it quietly, Hisashi brought his kiseru to his lips and sucked again. The cat came ever closer and Hisashi shifted forward, towards the edge of the wood flooring outside his room to sit cross-legged. Noticing his movement, the cat paused and stared at him. For a fleeting moment, Hisashi thought that it might run away, but that passed and the cat continued its oddly determined approach.

Soon, the cat came close enough for Hisashi to touch it. But he knew better than to do that. He had seen others get scratched by cats when they reached out at this point, thinking that cats were as amiable as dogs. Cats were nothing like dogs.

The cat sat down on the paving stone in front of Hisashi, flicking its black-tipped ears as it cocked its head to the side and stared at him with its golden eyes, pupils wide and large. Hisashi had to admit that it looked adorable, even if was somewhat feral-looking. It appeared to wait as it sat there, unmoving with its tail curled around itself and covering its paws. Hisashi had no idea what it wanted. He held his pipe in his right hand and stretched his left hand out to the cat to wait and see how it would react.

It smiled. Or rather, it looked like it did. Do cats make such expressions? Hisashi blinked, surprised. He had never seen that happen before. That odd smile disappeared when he blinked once more. Eyes fixed on the animal, Hisashi wrinkled his nose. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light.

Carefully making its way up the slope that prevented rain from accumulating under the house, the cat came towards Hisashi's relaxed hand and bumped its head against it. Hisashi curled his fingers lightly and scratched the cat under its chin as it rubbed its face all over the offered hand. Soon enough, the cat emitted a low rumble, purring with its face seemingly delighted by Hisashi's gentle scratches.

Now that the cat stood right before him, Hisashi could see that its coat was sand-coloured, decorated with rosettes, as he first noticed, all over its body. Even if it was friendly, judging by its appearance, this was no housecat; this much Hisashi was sure. What was it then? Wild cats do not come around here. Well, none that he knew of at least. Then again, wild cats would not behave like this, would they?

As Hisashi continued puzzling over its origins, the cat came even closer, stretching up to put its paws on the edge of the engawa. It looked up at Hisashi, making eye contact with its large golden eyes as it let out a soft mew.

Hearing it surprised Hisashi. He was not expecting such a dainty sound to come out of a cat of this size. Without waiting for a response, the cat proceeded to climb up onto the platform and into Hisashi's lap.

Hisashi tensed slightly when it did, suddenly conscious of the fact that it might be grimy and he would need to change his robes later. He considered removing the cat but looking at the way it curled up in his lap, it seemed like it was too late for that now. Hisashi swallowed, his left hand hovering as he wondered what he should do. He did not have to, for the cat decided for him.

Reaching its front paws out, it put its paws on Hisashi's hand and pulled it closer as if urging him to pet more. Shrugging to himself, Hisashi complied. He casually stroked the cat's body, feeling its soft fur under his fingers as he continued smoking his tobacco leaves.

It was nice; petting the cat while he relaxed and enjoyed the evening. Much about the cat struck him as odd, but it seemed friendly enough. It appeared to have a rather agreeable disposition too.

With all the purring Hisashi heard, the cat sounded like it was enjoying itself as much as he was. He looked down at it, admiring its striking coat and its sleek form stretched out in his lap. It turned and looked up at Hisashi, golden eyes blinking slowly with a contented look on its face as it flicked its fluffy tail. Hisashi smiled back at it and put his hand on the cat's head, smoothing it along its body, all the way down to its tails.

Hisashi froze and blinked. Tails?

Startled by a loud burst of laughter followed by the sound of a shoji door sliding open, Hisashi snapped his head towards the source, his attention snatched away from the cat. As he set eyes on his father and the trader in the tea house, now enjoying the night with what might be sake in their hands, he suddenly felt the weight and warmth of the cat in his lap disappear.

Hisashi looked down, saw no cat, and then twisted around, eyes searching the darkness for a glimpse of golden eyes or rose-patterned fur but neither was anywhere to be seen. He furrowed his brow and pressed his lips thin, somewhat disappointed that he lost the short-lived companionship.

Breathing in deep, he shrugged to himself and went back to smoking his kiseru. Oh well, that was the most cat-like thing it has done so far and it was bound to leave sooner or later anyway. The tails thing still puzzled him though. Perhaps it was just his imagination. A cat with more than one tail? How absurd.

Hisashi put his palm behind him, using it to support himself as he leaned back and stretched his legs out. He noticed that the sounds of the insect calls have returned, as has the light, pleasant breeze. He smoked the remaining tobacco leaves in his pipe and exhaled. Odd.


	2. 2

The Chinese trader had stayed the night. He joined the Imai family for breakfast the next morning, face full of smiles and still chatting with Hisashi's father. Hisashi did not understand the language, but it felt like they have transitioned from catching up to talking about business. Hisashi did not need to interact with his father's friend, but having an unfamiliar face dine with them made things feel awkward. Thankfully, breakfast went by quickly and by mid-morning, the foreigner had left the estate, supposedly to continue on his travels.

Finally excused, Hisashi retreated back into his room to read. Or rather, attempt to read until he got bored of words and turned his attention to fiddling with his shamisen. With the doors to the engawa outside his room open, he listened to the breeze rustling in the wind as he plucked idly, enjoying the tranquillity until he heard soft footsteps padding towards his room.

There was a quick rap on his door before it slid open to one of the household's servants bowing and saying, "I apologise for the disturbance, young master. But your father is here to speak with you."

Before Hisashi could respond, his father excused the servant and entered his room. Faced away from his father, Hisashi wrinkled his nose in displeasure. He had always disliked the way his father paid little to no heed to what he wanted.

"Hisashi," his father called, addressing him.

Forced to respond, Hisashi reluctantly put his shamisen aside and bowed despite remaining seated.

"There is something that I need to speak with you about."

Hisashi nodded again without saying a word. Of course, he did.

"In a few months, Ryukou, my friend will be passing through again on his way home," Hisashi's father said as he came forward and sat with him. "And he was hoping that we'd be able to procure a few things for him by then."

Upon hearing the second sentence, Hisashi felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He should have guessed that he would be asked to do something. Trying not to let his discontentment show, he grunted, "Umhmn."

"The peak of summer will pass by the end of this week. Much of what he wants will be coming into season then," his father said before pausing to listen to the murmurings of the pond outside the room. "I will need you to go to our villa," he continued, "stay there for the next season and get the herbs that Ryukou asked for. I will send Hitoshi over once a fortnight to bring back what you've collected for us to dry and process them. Whatever you need, tell him when he visits and I will have him bring it."

Hisashi was silent, upset that the burden of this troublesome task had befallen him. It was going to be boring, being alone up there, surrounded by the forest. Sure, the villa was at the edge of a town, but it was small and the people there were villagers who would more likely be fascinated by the novelty of his presence than be interesting conversationalists.

Regardless of however he felt about this though, Hisashi knew he had no choice in the matter. As he gave his father a reluctant nod of resignation, he heard an approving grunt from his father.

"Good, I'm glad you're agreeable to this," his father said as he got to his feet. "It will be good for you to refresh your knowledge about the herbs. Local trade may have diminished in recent years, but if all goes well, we may very well have made a returning customer for this side of our family's business."

Barely listening to whatever his father had just said, Hisashi grunted again and stared at the familiar sight of the garden outside his room. After next week, it would probably be months before he could see this view again. It would likely be winter by the time he comes back. All the lush green foliage would be gone, replaced by dry brown leaves.

Hisashi sighed and at the back of his mind, he wondered to himself: would that cat still be around when he returns?


	3. 3

The grace period of one week passed quickly and before Hisashi knew it, he was trekking up the steep mountain trail to the town where his family's villa was situated. Frankly speaking, it was more like the old family home than an actual villa. They moved into the capital about a decade ago but they kept this place for getaways, or rather, harvesting season. He remembered his childhood days spent running around in the forests surrounding the place, happily plucking whatever he was supposed to get. Now he knew what he considered a fun game back then was really just bothersome menial work for the adults.

His kiseru swung at his hip as Hisashi cursed silently and wiped the sweat off his brow. He didn't remember the path being this steep back in the day, neither did he recall this place being so hard to get to. It probably didn't help that it was technically still the middle of summer. Neither did it help that he was carrying the travelling pack this time around. He sure never had to carry anything like this as a child. But why was it so heavy? All he brought was clothes, some dried snacks, a few reference books and scrolls, and his shamisen.

Doing a little hop, Hisashi adjusted the pack and suddenly felt a weight dislodge from his load. Alarmed, he spun around quickly, trying to find what he dropped but he saw nothing. He frowned. Come to think of it, he didn't hear anything hit the ground either. Could he have imagined it? Maybe the heat was getting to him.

Hisashi pressed the sleeve of his yukata to his forehead, dabbing it dry again as he shuffled back around to continue on his way. Instead, he stopped, finding the sand-coloured rosette-furred cat from last week sitting in the middle of the path, blinking its large golden eyes at him as its thick, fluffy tail tapped the ground.

Hisashi blinked back in surprise. It didn't show up again after its first appearance but now, here it was. He muttered, "Where have you been? Don't tell me you were the one weighing down my pack all this while."

At his statement, the cat seemed to smile and blink at him slowly.

Hisashi covered his eyes with a hand as he pressed his temples. He  _ must _ be imagining things. Perhaps the heat had truly gotten to him. Shaking his head, he removed his hand and looked down at the ground again. The cat was still there.

"Were you following me?" he asked. What was he doing? Did he really expect a cat to respond-

The cat nodded.

Hisashi felt his heart stop for a moment, startled by what he just saw. Did the cat really understand what he said? He stared at it, unsure of what he should do now. Thinking about it, the cat did display some rather odd behaviour when it first appeared too. But responding to his questions? This was getting absurd.

Seemingly tired of waiting for Hisashi to do something, the cat trotted over to him and started weaving itself between his legs. Hisashi watched it happily rub its body against him and coil its bushy tail around his shins as it moved. It didn't look like it was going to leave him alone.

Hoping to see what the cat would do, Hisashi took a tentative step forward, expecting it to run off startled. Instead, it followed his footsteps, moving forward to brush against his leg again as it looked up at him with its golden eyes. Hisashi took another step forward, and another, and another, and the cat kept following him, keeping pace with him.

Hisashi pressed his lips thin. It looked like the cat was sticking with him for now. Well, there wasn't much he could do about that. He honestly didn’t mind the company either.

Shrugging to himself, Hisashi continued on his trek, walking up the last stretch of slope before the elevation plateaued to a relatively level section of the trail. There were even paving stones laid out here. Perhaps it meant that he was getting close to town.

Hisashi looked down and found that the cat was still with him, now happily walking by his side while letting itself get distracted by little occurrences along the way; like this black-winged butterfly that it was now chasing after. With a leap and a bound, the cat followed the butterfly off the path and into the forest foliage.

"Hey!" Hisashi called after it, but the cat had already disappeared. He sighed, feeling disappointed that it had gone and left him alone again so suddenly.

Standing at the spot where the cat had disappeared, Hisashi was faced with a dilemma. Should he wait for it or should he just move on? It should be able to find him again if it wanted to, right? He sighed again. He hoped it wanted to. It seemed like a pleasant creature to have around.

Hisashi looked at the path ahead and then back at the indistinct green foliage before him. He couldn't exactly go after it now. Who knows how far it could've gone. Reluctantly, he began to slowly turn away, changing his direction back towards the road to the villa.

Hisashi continued on, climbing up a gentle incline and crossing an old stone bridge before entering a bamboo forest. As he trudged forward, he suddenly heard a rustle off the side of the path. Excited, Hisashi snapped his head towards the noise, expecting the cat to come out but instead, a dishevelled looking man staggered out onto the path before him. Startled, he stared at the man and the man stared back. Before long, the stench of alcohol and an unwashed body hit Hisashi's nose and he instinctively scrunched up his face, wiggling his nose against the smell.

With Hisashi’s movement, the man's eyes darted down to Hisashi's hip, where his silver kiseru hung. The man stared intently at it. Alarm bells sounded off in Hisashi's head and he took a step back, intending to distance himself from the man but instead, the man darted forward, grubby hands reaching towards his hip. Hisashi took quick, wide strides backwards, careful to maintain his balance and not trip over anything while avoiding the lunge.

The man stood in the middle of the path and snarled, "Give me that kiseru. It's silver, isn't it?"

"Nope," Hisashi immediately denied. "It's mere steel."

"Steel does not shine like that."

"Ever seen a brand new kitchen knife?"

Doubt flickered on the man's face and he furrowed his brow. His eyes flitted between Hisashi and the kiseru. "Doesn't matter," he dismissed, stalking forward with his stare fixed on the kiseru. "Bunch of scrap steel still gets me more money than nothing."

Hisashi continued retreating, keeping a wary eye on the man while cursing his luck. He never recalled such unsavoury types showing up around this area. Perhaps things have changed. Or perhaps this was happening simply because he was now travelling alone.

"Give it to me," the man repeated, stumbling, probably due to whatever alcohol was left in his system, before resuming his approach.

"No," Hisashi muttered. If the man was still drunk, he might just have a chance of losing him if he made a run for it.

"Then I'll take it from you by force," the man declared, lunging forward.

Hisashi turned tail and ran, sprinting down the uneven path as fast as he could with his travelling pack weighing him down. He could hear the man growling and panting as he gave chase, somehow keeping up despite his inebriated state. Hisashi cursed. He could go faster if he didn't have all these things to carry but if he cast it aside now, he would definitely end up with nothing at all. This man seemed dead set on getting money, by hook or by crook.

Nearing the bridge, Hisashi chanced a glance behind him, hoping to see the man a good distance away but instead, he was only almost an arm's length away. He swore harder, willing his already tired legs to go faster.

Luck, however, did not seem to favour him. Going onto the bridge, Hisashi stepped on a particular spot that was covered in slippery moss, causing him to lose his footing. He did not fall but that brief moment of faltering cost him. He knew that it would and his fears were confirmed when he felt a force pulling him backwards by his pack.

Hisashi cursed again as he watched the world move in reverse. Toppling to the side, Hisashi hit the floor hard and scrambled to detach his kiseru from his hip, rushing to stuff it under his clothes as he instinctively curled up on the floor, trying to protect himself.

The straps of the pack dug hard into Hisashi’s arms as the man tried to yank it off. Hisashi could only grit his teeth against the pain. Peeking to the side, he kicked out, hoping to strike something and he did. He probably hit a shin or something but after some hissing and cursing, the man quickly recovered and this time, he grabbed Hisashi by his shoulder and turned him over.

Hisashi tried to kick again but he missed. The man had already figured out how to avoid it. Staring wide-eyed at the disgusting snarling face before him, Hisashi could only mentally curse again. What was he supposed to do now?

The man’s eyes darted wildly as they searched for the kiseru. Finding nothing, he growled, “Where is it!?”

Hisashi’s lips were sealed and his muscles were frozen. What should he do?

“Where is it, you stubborn brat?!” the man questioned, grabbing Hisashi by his collar and lifting him up.

Hisashi felt the kiseru move against his skin. Perhaps the man heard it move, or perhaps the shifting of Hisashi’s clothes allowed the kiseru to catch the light of the sun rays. Whatever it was, the way the man’s eyes grew large gave away that he found out where Hisashi had stashed it.

Rough fingers snatched at Hisashi’s clothes as the man tried to tear his way to his prize. Hisashi squeezed his eyes shut, blindly yelling and flailing against the assault when suddenly, it stopped. Warily, Hisashi cracked his eyes open, trying to see what caused everything to cease, but all he could see was the man looking straight ahead in the direction of the bridge. With his eyes as wide as dishes, he seemed afraid. In fact, his hands have started to shake. Now Hisashi was really curious. What on earth could scare someone like him so badly?

Hisashi tried to crane his neck around, but the moment he moved, the man let go of him, dropping him back to the ground. Hisashi instinctively shut his eyes again and grunted against the impact. In that split second, the man started screaming in what sounded like… terror. Hisashi could hear his footsteps frantically thumping further and further away, and when he opened his eyes again, all Hisashi saw was a blur of movement that came from behind him, dragging the man into the bamboo forest with frightening speed.

Hisashi sat frozen on the ground, staring after the fading screams of the man which ended in one final cry before a deafening silence rang out. It felt as if it took a while before the murmuring of the stream under the bridge and the rustle of the bamboo leaves filled Hisashi’s ears and once again, he was left alone on the path.

Gathering his thoughts, Hisashi let out a breath that he did not realise he had been holding and his shoulders slumped, losing tension as he pushed himself to his feet. Now upright, he dusted himself off and looked around. Everything seemed perfectly normal, the same as how it was when he first came through here. It felt as if whatever just happened had never happened. And yet…

Hisashi fished the kiseru out of his clothes and fixed his appearance. He didn't want anyone questioning why he looked the way he did. Holding the kiseru in his hands, he stared at it for a moment before attaching it to his hip again. He then looked up at the sun, squinting against the glare of its rays and the heat which he felt anew.

Judging by the sun’s position, Hisashi needed to hurry up now. He shook his head and hurriedly resumed his walk. Perhaps the heat really did get to him…


	4. 4

Hisashi stepped into the bath, sighing with relief as the warm water soothed his aching muscles. He rolled his shoulders and leaned back, settling into a corner. Gazing at the scenery outside the window drenched in fading daylight, the day's events automatically began running through his head again.

Upon his arrival at the town, things were… more eventful that Hisashi would've liked. It appeared that his father had notified some of their old neighbours about his arrival and sojourn; they were all ready to welcome him with comments about how much he has grown since his last time here and how pleased they were to have him back. Hisashi sighed at the memory and covered his eyes in the crook of his arm. They'd be sick of him pretty soon. That he was sure of. You can only rely on such pleasantries for so long.

Hisashi lay like this for a while, letting the comforting heat work into his body. It was pleasant here. But what was more pleasant was finding this old house and grounds as well maintained as it was. It turned out that his family's old retainer still came up once in a while to keep things nice and tidy.

Hisashi remembered the meticulous woman from his youth and how his parents had wanted her to come with them to the city. It was too bad she preferred staying in this peace and quiet with her family. Her presence would have eased the teething pains that happened right after their move. _ Her _ hospitality, on the other hand, was something Hisashi could rely on. After all, she had always been the one looking after him when he was still a waddling toddler.

Hisashi raised his arms above his head and stretched. Arching his back, he felt his joints pop and crack with his movements. He then exhaled, letting his body relax again as he dropped his arms down. But instead of the side of the tub, his left hand hit something soft.

Startled, Hisashi snapped his head around to see what he hit only to get a face full of fur. Before he could react, a familiar mew sounded in his ear as the fur pressed against the side of his head.

"Ah, it's you," Hisashi muttered, bending his arm to extend a hand in the creature's direction.

Golden eyes blinked slowly at him as the cat came back around and pushed its head into Hisashi's palm. Curling his fingers, Hisashi could not help but smile when the cat closed its eyes while he scratched the top of its head. But the cat eventually tired of it and ducked away. It didn't go far though. Instead, it simply settled down on the window sill, tucking its paws under its body, lying within his reach.

"Where did you go this afternoon?" Hisashi asked the cat. Almost immediately, he felt sheepish for speaking to it. It wasn't as if the cat could respond to him. The cat did, however, turn to look at him with a twinkle in its eyes.

Bemused, Hisashi huffed and continued, "Some weird things happened while you were away, wherever you were." He sighed and ran a hand down his face, going quiet as he stared at the water before him. He hadn't mentioned this to anyone yet. He wasn't sure if he should at all.

Hisashi could feel the man's hands on him when he grabbed and groped in search of the kiseru. He splashed water at himself, running his hands over his arms and torso again in an attempt to erase the ghost of those sensations.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure what happened," Hisashi muttered to himself as he rubbed his face. "Or if it even happened."

Something furry brushed against Hisashi's jaw and tapped his cheek. Swivelled in the direction of the sensation, he saw the black tip of a fluffy tail curl and brush against his face again.

A smile tugged at Hisashi's lips as he huffed. Turning to look for the cat, he said, "When did your tail get so long-"

Hisashi felt his heart stop. While the same golden eyes blinked at him, the face they belonged to had no fur, was pale-skinned, and was framed by long, midnight black hair.

Mouth agape, Hisashi was too stunned to find his voice. Where did this person come from? And where did the cat go? He blinked. The cat blinked at him. He sat up. The cat sat up too.

Hisashi looked around, eyes frantically scanning the bath area. Where did that person go? He looked at the cat again. It sat in its spot quietly, watching him intently.

Hisashi swallowed and slowly slumped back down into the water. What was that? Splashing water onto his face, Hisashi tried to clear his thoughts. He had to be mistaken. There was no way another person could have appeared and disappeared from outside the window so quickly and quietly. The only other possible explanation for this could only be that his eyes were playing tricks on him again.

Sighing, Hisashi slid lower, letting the water rise to his chin. He cast a sideways glance at the cat which opened its mouth in what looked like a yawn and let out a soft 'ah' sound.

Hisashi turned around and brought his hand to the cat. When it didn't move, he scratched the top of its head and smiled again as it closed its eyes and came closer. How strange that it seemed so harmless like this.

That said, Hisashi hoped that his eyes would function properly tomorrow. He wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't identify the herbs properly.

Suddenly, the cat ducked its head away and stood up, ears pricked and alert. It took a moment before Hisashi heard the crunch of footsteps on the gravel outside. It was probably just the retainer or one of the younger men helping her with groundskeeping or something but the presence of another person spooked the cat and it quickly darted away, disappearing into the foliage outside the window without a trace.

Hisashi sighed. No matter how comfortable it appeared to be with him, it was still a skittish cat after all. Looking up at the sky, he noticed that it was almost completely dark now. Perhaps it was time for him to leave the bath as well.

Stepping out, Hisashi dried himself and dressed before exiting the bathhouse to go back to the main building. The structure itself was old. Unsurprising because his family had lived there for generations, but it took some getting used to seeing a sunken hearth right in front of the entrance area. Back home in the city, his family had traded that for a separate kitchen area in the back of the house.

As Hisashi slipped his geta off, the family's retainer, who he had always addressed as Aunty, looked up and smiled. "Oh, there you are. Dinner is ready," she said, rising as Hisashi approached.

"Thank you," Hisashi said with a quick bow before settling down in front of the food that had been laid out. Noticing that Aunty was leaving, he asked, "Aren't you having dinner, Aunty?" 

"Oh, no, dear," she said, untying her apron. "I have dinner prepared at home too."

"Oh." Hisashi looked out the window. It was pitch black outside now. "Isn't it dangerous to be out when it's dark?" he asked absentmindedly. After all, this house was a little distant from the rest of the town and considering what he had experienced on his way here…

"I appreciate the concern, dear, but nothing happens around here," Aunty chuckled with a dismissive wave of her hand. "My boy will be meeting me on the way back too. I won't be on my own. Don’t you worry," she added as she hung her apron up. Turning to Hisashi, she said, "When you're done, just leave the dishes where they are, dear. I'll be back in a jiffy to clean those up."

"Ah, you don't have to rush back, Aunty. I can clean them myself," Hisashi said quickly. Was it really so safe here that she could be out and about like that at night?

Aunty raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you sure, dear? I clearly remember you were the one who protested against cleaning up the most," she teased.

"I don't want to trouble you to keep going to and fro like that, Aunty," Hisashi muttered, trying not to cringe at the memory of his tantrums. "And your family needs you around too," he added. "Coming back here would just-"

"Alright, alright," Aunty chuckled. Smiling fondly at Hisashi, she sighed, "You've really grown up, haven't you?"

"Ah, uhm…" Not knowing what to say, Hisashi grew flustered and looked down at the food.

"Since you've insisted, I'll come back tomorrow morning to check on your handiwork," she said with a playful smirk.

"Uh, yes," Hisashi nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, dear," Aunty bade as she stepped down to put on her geta in the entrance area. She slipped them on, then paused. "Oh, I should probably mention this."

"Yes, Aunty?"

"Just so you know, the house makes a bit of noise at night," she informed. "You know, since it's so old and all. The wood creaks and things like that. It's normal if you hear a few noises, so don't worry about it."

"Ah… okay." Hisashi wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that.

"Well, have a good night," Aunty bowed. Smiling amiably, she stepped out, slid the main door shut and left Hisashi to his own devices.


	5. 5

Dinner was simple; rice with grilled fish, a side of vegetables and a bowl of miso soup. Simple it may have been, but it was undoubtedly satisfying. Aunty's cooking was still as tasty as Hisashi remembered, putting him in a good mood for the night.

After cleaning up and putting the cutlery and utensils away, Hisashi still had one more thing to do. When he arrived that afternoon, he found the room which was prepared for him too big. He had decided that he would fix that after dinner, and that's what he was going to do.

It was easy enough, removing the fusama from the rails and rearranging them, but all the moving made Hisashi work up a sweat in this warm summer night. Perhaps he should have just done this earlier before he decided to take a bath. He dabbed his brow with the sleeve of his yukata and looked around at the resized space. It's now half of what it originally was. And that made Hisashi feel a whole lot more comfortable. He didn’t know what to do with that much space anyway.

Now with that done, Hisashi unfolded the futon which Aunty placed in the room by his belongings and thought about settling down for the night, but perhaps he should really quickly wash once more. The sticky sensation on his skin was getting uncomfortable.

Striding out of the room, Hisashi made his way to the entrance, put on his geta, and pushed the door open. The darkness outside seemed almost impenetrable. Even the light from the house only reached a couple of meters ahead of him, at most. Hisashi could see small winking lights straight ahead in the distance. Those were probably from some of the houses in town but they were too far away to affect the darkness here and the trees that surrounded the property did not help either. And considering what happened this afternoon…

Pressing his lips thin, Hisashi forced himself to swallow his apprehension. He fixed his eyes on the incandescent light in the bathhouse and he quickly shuffled over, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping his eyes on his destination. He didn’t feel particularly inclined to look at the scenery.

When Hisashi finally opened the door and stepped into the bathhouse, he let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing happened. Then again, it was of course that nothing would happen. Aunty said so herself.

Hisashi huffed at himself, annoyed at how disturbed he was as he stripped off his yukata and hung it up. In the low candlelight, Hisashi dumped cold water on himself, shivering even as he enjoyed the relief that it brought. This would be terrible once chillier weather moved in though.

Eager to return to the house, Hisashi gave himself a quick scrub before towelling himself dry and dressing again. He already felt better than before. Fastening his yukata close, he stared at the door and grimaced, mildly dreading making his way back to the main house.

Steeling himself, Hisashi slid the door open and stood at the entrance. It felt as if the night had become even darker than before. There was barely any light outside aside from the moon and the lamp that lit up the front of the house. He thought of extinguishing the bathhouse's light but immediately, he decided against it. He would have an easier time if he needed to come back out in the middle of the night. Besides, more light around the place made him feel better.

A soft meow suddenly came from his right. Hisashi snapped his head down in the direction of the sound and saw the large yet slender figure of the cat seated right outside the bathhouse. It’s returned.

"Where did you go?" Hisashi asked with a huff.

The cat meowed again. Hisashi couldn't figure out if it was just him or if the sounds were beginning to resemble more and more like someone yelling ah's at him. Maybe that was just how cats vocalised. He couldn't exactly say that he had ever spoken to cats this much until now though. He was more of a dog person.

The cat cocked its head at Hisashi then looked out towards the main building. Hisashi sighed and pulled off his hair tie. Frowning, he scratched the top of his head. He heard another little 'ahh'.

"I know, I know," Hisashi grumbled. "I'm gonna go just… don't rush me."

The cat paced, walking to and fro and bumping its head against the back of Hisashi's legs as it forced him to move.

"Hey!" Hisashi stumbled as he hastily reached back to shut the door to the bathhouse before letting the cat nudge him back to the main house. Entering, Hisashi looked down at the cat and grumbled, "You're real pushy, aren't you?"

The cat's golden eyes flashed at him and it turned away, flicking its fluffy black-tipped tail as it stalked off into the house. Hisashi stared after it. Was it offended?

Suddenly realising that he had just let a stray in, Hisashi quickly went after it, calling, "Hey! Where are you going?"

Running through the house, Hisashi scoured the rooms, going through every possible hiding spot he could think of but after much searching, the cat was nowhere to be found. He sighed and shuffled from the back of the house to the front again, trying to look for it once more before giving up. How was such a large creature so hard to find?

As Hisashi passed his room, a low light glowing through a gap in the fusama caught his eye and he heard a page turn. He stopped and frowned. That was odd. Aunty did say that the house would make noises but this didn’t sound like a sound that the house would normally make. Another page turned.

Curious to know the source of the noise, Hisashi peeked into the room and froze. There was someone in there and he recognised who it was from the hair. It was the person he saw for a split second in the bathhouse earlier this evening and he was now in Hisashi's room, lying on the floor as he read one of the reference books Hisashi brought with him.

Hisashi stared mutely at the scene, eyes taking in the long black tresses sprawled out on the tatami flooring and the unfamiliar style of the robes that shifted so fluidly as the person moved to flip a page. As entranced as he was by this person's ethereal qualities, questions echoed in the back of Hisashi’s head: where did this person come from? How did they get in?

The person suddenly sat up. Hisashi could see slim, elegant eyebrows angled in a frown as golden eyes stared intently at something on the page. Those eyes gave Hisashi pause. He had only ever seen eyes like those on one other being; the cat.

Dropping the book, the person started grumbling in a foreign language with a low voice as they turned away and began digging in Hisashi’s bag. Alarmed and affronted, Hisashi slid the door open with a loud snap, widening the space to step in and intervene with an offended, “Hey!”

The person froze and snapped their eyes over their shoulder to cast a wary glance back. Their pupils looked large and round until they lay their sights on Hisashi. At that moment, their pupils shrunk to a more normal size and gold irises glittered again.

“Who are you and what do you think you’re doing?” Hisashi questioned, feigning authority to hide the fact that he was slightly unnerved by the eye movement. That made it clear enough that this person was… not exactly human.

Gesturing at the book with obvious frustration, the being began speaking in their language, their voice sounding somewhat male despite the elegant facial features and slender physique as they continued rummaging through Hisashi’s bag.

As Hisashi hurriedly strode towards them, his brain struggling to decipher their words. It sounded like the Chinese trader’s tongue, but at the same time, it sounded so different that he could not make head or tail of it. Squatting down in front of the person, Hisashi put his hand on his bag, intending to repossess it when the person looked up at him and paused their rambling.

"Ah," the person blurted as they furrowed their brows and hit their forehead with a fist. After what seemed like a moment of difficulty, they said, "Mmh… Uh, you… speak like this?"

_ Like this? _ "… Yes." Hisashi nodded before snapping, "Stop touching my things."

The person raised their eyebrows, eyes growing large in surprise at Hisashi's harsh tone. But that expression soon disappeared in a split second and they released Hisashi's pack, folding their arms and crossing their legs as they sat down on the floor with a thump. "I just wanted to correct that book of yours," they pouted.

" _ Correct _ ?" Hisashi frowned.

"It's got wrong information in there," they said, pointing at the book they were reading.

"That's not possible," Hisashi dismissed. "My great-grandfather dedicated his life to compiling those notes."

"Well, he's still wrong," the person argued, turning his nose up indignantly. "How could you even compare the knowledge of one human's lifetime with mine of more than a thousand years?"

"Fine then. Write your own book," Hisashi snapped again without thinking as he snatched his reference book back and rearranged his things. A thousand years or not, his father wouldn't take kindly to revisions made to the books anyway.

… A thousand years? Hisashi froze and turned stiffly to stare at the being who was now opening the sliding door to the garden outside the room. "A thousand years?" he repeated aloud.

“Hm?” Upon hearing his question, the being turned around, clothes and hair swishing. “Yes?”

"A thousand years, you said?"

"You're not hard of hearing, are you?" the being retorted, cocking his head to one side in concern.

"No person lives for a thousand years," Hisashi muttered.

"No human, you mean," the being corrected.

“… What are you?” Hisashi asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Flashing sharp canines, the being gave Hisashi a toothy grin and said, "Make a guess."

"Not human," Hisashi muttered lamely. There was no doubt about that.

The person beamed at him and hummed, "Very good, you're not stupid."

Hisashi paused and waited but it didn't look like an answer was going to be offered by them. Slowly, he sat down to face this being while contemplating his next action. The other mirrored his actions, sitting back down to watch him too

Hisashi stared at the simple, yet elegant clothes that they wore. He didn't know what material it was made out of, but from the way this being moved, the deep red fabric, embellished with gold embroidery wrapped around his body looked both weighty yet light enough for effortless moving at the same time. Their inner white robes looked very delicate in comparison, appearing wispy and almost weightless under the outer red robes.

Noticing what Hisashi was focused on, the being smiled and asked, "Do you want to touch it?"

Hisashi immediately answered, "No."

He knew from superstition that he should never say yes to a non-human being. Especially when he had no idea what he was dealing with nor what this being wanted. Come to think of it, where did he come from? Did he take up residence in this old house after Hisashi's family moved out?

"I came from a mountain far from here," the being suddenly answered.

Hisashi felt a chill run down his spine. The being could read minds?

"I do not normally make the effort to but your silence and unblinking stare bothers me," they said quietly with a hint of what looked like uncertainty in those alluring eyes.

“Where,” Hisashi blurted, attempting to skip the thinking, “exactly did you come from?”

“Far, far away from here,” the being answered, pausing as they gazed into the distance with a wistful smile on their face. “From across that large, turbulent body of water that was crossed. From a place of endless plains and mountains and grasslands and very, very few humans," they ended pointedly.

"You don't sound like you like us," Hisashi remarked.

"So noisy, and you think you're so good, destroying all my resting places and having the audacity to be angry when I return," the being hissed, wrinkling their nose in displeasure.

Hisashi swallowed nervously. Even if the being seemed to dismiss it all with a huff, he couldn't tell if that anger was going to be directed at him or not. "Then, why… would you leave your home? If you don't like us that much," Hisashi asked warily.

"I got bored," they shrugged as they idly braided their hair. "There had to be more to life than waiting for lost souls, I thought."

"Lost… souls?"

"My home is so vast that people lose their way sometimes," the being said. "I'm a kindly person who provides food and shelter," they added, giving Hisashi a strange, unsettling smile. 

"You don't sound like a wanderer," Hisashi swallowed, trying to dismiss the churning in the pit of his stomach.

"Yet wandered I did," the being laughed, a soft pleasant sound. "On that trader's pack, I finally found my way here, to a whole new world."

"You'll be continuing on your travels then?"

The being looked up to the ceiling and hummed, "Maybe…" Golden eyes darted towards Hisashi's direction. "Not."

"No?" Hisashi felt his heart lurch. Was this being latching on to him?

The being's smile grew wider.

"You followed me here, didn't you?"

An affirmative hum.

"Why?"

Still smiling, the being got on all fours and approached Hisashi, gushing, "The scent of your soul smelt  _ so _ tantalising that I just  _ had to _ ."

This didn't look good. Hisashi retreated. " _ Excuse me _ ?"

"Won't you give it to me?" They asked, reaching a hand out to Hisashi.

"What, are you stupid? No!" Hisashi blurted, slapping the hand away.

"Of course you'd say that," the being chuckled, expecting that reaction. Tapping a slender finger on their cheek, they smirked, "But you owe me."

"I-I, what?"

"This afternoon," the being grinned, coming ever closer. "Who do you think saved you?"

Hisashi's eyes grew large with realisation. "What did you do?"

"I made a meal out of him," they answered nonchalantly. "But that soul tasted disgusting, bland and dry," they added scrunching their pretty features up at the memory.

"So… he's…?"

"Dead," they confirmed. "And dry," they repeated again with that same look of distaste.

"Why'd you kill him?!"

"I didn't like what he intended with you," huffed the being.

"And now you're going to kill me too?!" Hisashi presumed, dread squeezing his chest as he retreated until his back hit the wall. He was cornered.

"Oh, no, no, no." The being shook their head, long hair swishing from side to side as they came closer. "A soul forcefully taken is not as delectable as a soul willingly given."

"Well, I'm not giving it to you," Hisashi declared.

"I don't mind waiting," they giggled, tapping Hisashi's nose with an extended index finger. "One day, you will."

"What makes you think so!?"

"I've seen a lot in my life and that's how it always ends," the being said with a shrug. "Once I have set my sights on you, it's unavoidable."

"Why are you even telling me this?! It's not as if I'll say yes and give it to you any sooner," Hisashi retorted. "I have every intention to live a long life!"

The being covered the lower half of their face with a sleeve and squinted their eyes in a chuckled. "There's more to this than the simple act of me taking your life force away and leaving you for dead," they elaborated. "I can take portions from you. Like… stealing little sips from a bottle of well-cultivated rice wine," the being went on, tracing a finger along Hisashi's jaw. "You won't feel any difference when I do, and if I like you enough I'll even help you live that long, long life well."

"Why would you do that?" 

"Makes the soul taste better," the being smiled. "And if one tasted that good, I'd want to enjoy it for as long as possible."

Hisashi paused, surprised. This wasn't exactly a life or death situation… was it? 

"I'll do everything in my power to give you whatever you want," they added in a singsong voice.

"Wait. No," Hisashi muttered to himself, shaking his head. "You- You're trying to convince me to say yes, aren't you?" he accused. "No. No. God damn it, no."

"Ah, well," they pulled back with a smile. Clothes fluttering as they settled down, they added, "My offer still stands, if you ever change your mind."

"I won't ever change my mind!" Hisashi stressed. "Just go and leave me in peace!"

The being promptly laid down on the floor, stretching as he began to relax.

"Alone. Leave me alone," Hisashi emphasised, crossing his arms as he pressed his lips thin.

"But I won't bother you," the being said, rolling onto their stomach to look up at Hisashi. "You won't even notice me."

"I want. To be.  _ Alone _ ."

The being looked glum and for a moment, Hisashi wondered if he was being too harsh. But this… entity wanted his life, for goodness' sake. He watched as the being picked themselves up and slowly slinked towards the sliding door, exiting through an opening and heading out into the garden without a word.

Hisashi stared at the opening for a moment, waiting to see if the being would pop back in and call it a ruse. When nothing happened after a while, he swallowed and cautiously walked to the door. Opening it wider, Hisashi half expected to see the being outside, perhaps lounging around on the edging strip, but the only thing that greeted him was the impenetrable darkness of the forest that lined the border of the garden outside.

Just looking at it made Hisashi nervous. He didn’t like that he couldn’t see anything. But if he wanted to smoke, he needed the door open to let the fumes out. He pressed his lips thin. He would just have to get used to this.

Going inside, Hisashi unpacked the rest of his belongings and set them up on one of the low tables that he brought into the room. By the light of a candle, Hisashi put a ball of tobacco into the bowl of his kiseru and lit it with a match. As he took the first puff, Hisashi moved to lean against the door frame, bringing the candle with him to put it by his side. Using a candle was a tad bit troublesome, but it couldn’t be helped that this place was too rural for the use of electricity to have spread here.

Hisashi got comfortable and leaned back. Holding the kiseru in his right hand, he rested it on a knee propped up and cast his eyes to the sky, preferring to look at the stars than the forest.

After everything that happened in this one day, today was finally ending and tomorrow, Hisashi planned to head into the forest and refamiliarise himself with his childhood playground. Maybe he could see how many herbs he could find and identify too; perhaps pick a few and get started with that list his father gave him.

Taking another puff, Hisashi closed his eyes and let his muscles loosen up. Breathing out, he heard the soft rustle of leaves and grass in the mild breeze and picked up the songs of cicadas in the distance. All of this made his environment feel a little more familiar, more comfortable.

When Hisashi opened his eyes, a shadow in the garden to his left caught his eye. He turned and saw the cat looking at him. Unlike the confident advances all those previous times, this time, it, no,  _ they _ looked hesitant. They took a step forward. Hisashi huffed and turned his attention back to the sky, deciding to ignore them.

But within moments, Hisashi heard the soft thumping of paws on the wooden skirting. He looked to his left again and the cat now had both front paws on the timber. Gazing at Hisashi with their golden eyes, they ‘ah’-ed at Hisashi.

“What do you want?” Hisashi grumbled.

They ‘ah’-ed again as they looked at Hisashi with large forlorn eyes.

“Don’t act cute with me,” Hisashi hissed, folding his arms across his chest as he sucked on his kiseru.

The cat came closer and meowed again. Hisashi ignored them, closing his eyes with a furrow in his brow as he tried to ignore the being. All he heard was another ‘ah’.

“Why are you so persistent?!” Hisashi snapped, glaring at the cat which pulled his paw back with a pitiful look. Hisashi grimaced and sighed heavily. He had half a mind to shove the cat away but how was he supposed to do that without feeling guilty?

Warily leaning forward, the cat kept a cautious eye on Hisashi as they nudged Hisashi's left hand with their head. Hisashi stared at them, frowning when the cat found a space between his hand and his thigh and began burrowing their head in, only stopping once they had Hisashi's hand on their head. Lying down, the cat meowed and tapped Hisashi's hand with a paw. Hisashi moved his hand, lifting it up and the cat followed, clambering into Hisashi's lap to stretch higher.

"Hey!" Hisashi snapped.

The cat 'ah'-ed back, pushing their head against Hisashi's fingers to mimic scratching and every time Hisashi’s fingers moved, the cat would reposition themselves, making sure that Hisashi would end up scratching them no matter what. Scowling at the cat, Hisashi put his kiseru between his teeth, biting the mouthpiece as he put his hands under the cat’s front legs and lugged the big feline into his lap.

“You simply loooove scratches, don’t you?” Hisashi muttered angrily with gritted teeth.

The cat looked up at him, eyes wide with bewilderment at Hisashi’s sudden gesture.

“Then you’ll be stuck here until I’m done,” Hisashi declared.

Taking the kiseru out of his mouth with a puff, Hisashi trapped the cat between his legs and started kneading the top of their head with his fingertips. He could feel the tension in the cat’s body as if hesitant about Hisashi’s change in demeanour. As much as the cat looked like they wanted to enjoy the massage, they remained stiff until Hisashi finally leaned back against the door frame and relaxed, sucking on his kiseru and exhaling swirls of white. It was only then that the cat, too, softened their body and curled up against Hisashi, rumbling with soft purrs as Hisashi stroked him idly.

It was easy to turn away the being in their human form but as a cat, Hisashi found it impossible to be harsh with an animal which gave him such earnest looks. Hisashi sighed to himself. He was still more of a dog person, though.


	6. 6

Hisashi opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, feeling slightly dazed. It took him a moment to recall that he was in his childhood home instead of his family's residence in the city. Sighing, he kicked the covers off and sat up. Just then, he felt something slip out of his hand. He looked down and found one of his reference books resting on the floor. It looked like he was reading that last night when he fell asleep. 

Nearby was a candle holder with half a candle still sitting in the melted wax which had now hardened. Hisashi frowned, surprised that it didn't melt all the way down. He didn't recall putting it out before he went to sleep. Did someone-

The cat… person?

Hisashi turned sharply, snapping his head around in search of any sign of the cat, or being, but he was alone. It appeared that they left while he was asleep. Or perhaps… there never was anyone with him. Well, it was possible that the cat did visit, but the being… Looking back now, the whole situation felt absolutely ridiculous. Like a hallucination of sorts.

Hisashi looked around again and noticed that all the doors were closed. That gave him pause. Even if a cat did come and leave, it couldn't have closed the doors. He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his head in frustration. This was all so confusing.

With a huff, Hisashi put his book aside and got to his feet. He didn't want to think about it anymore. It was time to get up anyway. He had a lot to do.

Exiting his room, Hisashi headed to the front of the house and put on his geta to head out and wash up in the bathhouse. By the time he got back, Aunty was by the hearth, placing breakfast on a low table for him.

Hearing his return, she turned to greet him. "Good morning, dear. How was your night?"

"Good morning. It was, uh… quiet," Hisashi replied. Well, it  _ was  _ quiet, wasn't it? He did manage to relax and read after all.

"I trust the quirks of the house didn't bother you too much then," she smiled as she stood up and moved aside.

"Uh, quirks?"

"The little creaks and groans in the wood. The dark corners," Aunty specified, raising her brows with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Ah, no. Not at all," Hisashi said, shaking his head as he sat down. Did she know about how darkness made him uneasy? "Thanks for the meal," he muttered before starting to eat.

"Ah, that's good," Aunty remarked. "I know how staying in a big house like this on your own can be unnerving but I'm glad you're unperturbed by it."

"Mhmm," Hisashi hummed as he chewed his food. "Say, Aunty."

"Yes, dear?"

"Do… wild cats live around here?" Hisashi asked.

"Wild cats?" Aunty echoed as she cast her eyes to the ceiling in thought. "Feral strays, perhaps, but not actual wild cats. But there have been sightings of wild boar, raccoon dogs, and the occasional fox once in a while," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah, well, I thought I saw something outside last night so I thought I'd ask," Hisashi said, concocting an excuse on the fly. Huh, so the being might have really come from abroad. They were definitely too big to be a feral stray. "And since I'd be spending time in the forest, I might come across wildlife, maybe," he quickly added.

"Well, the wildlife around here tend to avoid human contact," Aunty said. "So it's odd that one would come so close."

"Maybe it got used to the idea that no one lives here?"

"Perhaps," Aunty nodded. "That does sound likely."

Hisashi nodded as well.

"But let me know if you see it again, dear," Aunty suddenly said. "If it's bold enough to hang around, it might be dangerous for you."

"Uhn?"

"Let me know and we can organise a little hunting party to chase it away or get rid of it before it starts hurting people," Aunty said again, seriousness in her eyes.

"Um, okay," Hisashi muttered. He wasn't quite sure of how he should feel about this unexpected outcome from his innocent question. Sure, he wanted the being to stop bothering him, but he didn't exactly want them  _ dead _ .

Hisashi ate quickly, scarfing down the rest of his food with a quick mumble of gratitude before darting back to his room to grab his bag. With the satchel by his side, he was ready to go.

"Ah, heading out already?" Aunty asked as Hisashi made his way through the front of the house.

"Yes, I'll be familiarising myself with the forest again. I'm not too sure if things are as I remembered them to be," Hisashi nodded as he thought aloud.

"That's a good idea," Aunty agreed. "Do stay safe, and remember to let me know if you see anything," she added as she walked him to the entrance. Handing Hisashi, a small box wrapped up in a furoshiki, she said, “Here, take this with you.”

"Thanks, and I will," Hisashi promised, taking the box from Aunty and then putting on his shoes.

"Your mention of an animal reminded me of the time when a crazed fox was attacking some of the villagers who ventured into the woods," Aunty said as she folded her arms with concern etched into her face. "That was a few years ago now, but you never know what happens up there in the mountain. I wouldn't know what to tell your father if something happened to you."

"I'll be careful," Hisashi promised, standing up and dusting his pants off. "At least I've got the cutting knife with me."

"Don't hesitate to use it," Aunty nodded. "I know you like animals but wild ones are nothing like strays."

"Got it. I'm going now," Hisashi said, bowing slightly as he walked out the door.

"Travel safe, and I'll see you later," Aunty bade, waving to Hisashi before closing the door behind him.

Walking the short path out of the property, Hisashi made a right turn, veering away from the straight road which would have led down into town. He followed the path, venturing into the forested mountain that the house sat at the foot of. As far as he knew, even the mountain belonged to his family since three or four generations back.

Hisashi kept his eyes out for herbs as he walked down the winding path. He was glad to find that memory still served him well. Scanning the vegetation, he was easily able to pick out a good number of common varieties but those were not what he was asked to find. The rare ones were rare for a reason after all.

Hisashi continued on his way, going up the gentle incline as he went deeper into the forest. Even though he only tasked himself with scouting out spots today, with the way he kept pausing to pluck a few stems and flowers, it felt as if he had already started working on harvesting. His eyes were still on the prize though; kudzu roots.

While those can be abundant, the size and location were key issues. The roots had to have grown to a certain size before they can be harvested. They would be too young otherwise. But before Hisashi could evaluate that, he had to get to where they tended to cluster first; steep mountainsides. He hoped that there would be enough growing on accessible terrain that he wouldn't need to venture to such extreme parts though.

As Hisashi scaled higher, he began to spot bloodwort flowers, the roots of which his father asked for too. He made a mental note of where he was. He would have to come back later for them after the flowers have withered and dried off. They would be just right for harvesting then.

Continuing on, Hisashi’s pace eventually slowed to a stroll as he continued spotting more flowers and distinguishing between the leaves. While he was glad that he had less of a problem identifying them than he expected, it was also nice to see that the plants have been thriving despite his family’s time away and that supply was still bountiful here. He had yet to spot any of those distinctive magenta kudzu flowers but they might be further up along the way. 

Arriving at a small clearing, Hisashi looked up at the sky and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Was it already past noon? It felt like he had only been here for an hour tops. As if on cue, his stomach growled, indicating his need for food. He sighed. Maybe he should take a break by the stream a little further ahead. With that in mind, Hisashi went on his way. 

While nature had her way in some places, there were still recognisable formations and landmarks which he remembered from his youth. Some were oddly shaped rocks, some were trees which he or his siblings left their carving marks on. But these were smaller markers which required prior knowledge.

Others were more distinct, like a huge rock face that Hisashi passed just moments ago, now more mossy than he remembered. There was also a clearing at the edge of a cliff which overlooked the town. That would be further up the mountain. Hisashi remembered how he sneaked up there once during a festival just to watch the fireworks. And then, break his ankle in the dark on the way down, causing his family to organise a frantic search party. Hisashi wrinkled his nose at the memory. That was something he would very much forget.

Casting that aside, Hisashi turned his focus to following the narrowing path, weaving through the trees towards the sound of water. As the murmurs of the stream grew louder, he suddenly felt a wave of heat coming from his right. Surprised by the odd sensation, Hisashi froze in his tracks but he began to relax when he realised where it came from; the hot spring. It was but one of many on the mountain but it was the most accessible one, and the one he used to visit as a child with his family.

A smile plastered on his face, Hisashi turned away from the path and headed in the direction of the heat. He was eager to see if it was still in the same state that they left it in. If it was, he could come up here for a dip once in a while. The closer Hisashi got, the warmer it became, and the more Hisashi perspired. Of course he would. It was still summer after all.

Then, Hisashi saw something that made him stop. Hanging by one of the low hanging branches was clothing. And it was clothing he had seen before. Thin white fabric lying atop the thicker red silk robe which seemed to be entangled with a wispy, delicate maroon and gold outer garments. … Was what happened last night real after all?

Hisashi’s mind raced as he struggled to understand what it all meant. Out of nowhere, a soft, melodious hum reached his ears, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts. Hisashi snapped his head in the direction of the unknown tune. Without as much of a second thought, he slowly crept closer, stepping through the foliage until the hot spring came into view.

The humming continued, singing a light tune as Hisashi’s eyes carefully looked across the pool in the shadow of a twisted, gnarled tree trunk. The strength of the midday sunlight was no match for the steam that the hot spring emitted, turning the scene before Hisashi into an especially warm and blurry splodge. But he did manage to make out the vague shape of a person. Or, at least, a head of dark hair on a set of pale shoulders.

Hisashi watched as the person bathed, languidly pouring water over themselves with cupped hands. They seemed oblivious to his presence. This didn’t feel quite right. What he as doing didn't feel quite right. In a moment of clarity, Hisashi looked away and frowned at himself. What on earth was he doing? Was he really hiding in a corner to watch someone bath? This felt terribly wrong.

The sound of loud splashes and water breaking drew Hisashi’s eyes back towards the hot spring. The person stood up. With bated breath, Hisashi watched as the person, who still faced away from him, pull something out of their hair and to let long dark locks cascade down their back.  Hisashi instantly felt his insides shrivel up. Only a woman had hair like that and watching a woman bathe… If she reported him… But the clothes! It had to belong to the cat- the being! But what if he was mistaken?

Hisashi found himself rooted to the spot as the person looked over their shoulder to cast their eyes at him and smirk, “You pervert.”

Despite the accusation, Hisashi almost laughed from relief. Their eyes shone gold. It was the being. Suddenly released from the tension, Hisashi leaned against the tree trunk and bent over, his hands on his knees as he sighed heavily. He could hear water sloshing around, indicating the being’s approach. They didn’t step out though. Leaning out from the rocky edge of the pool, the being stopped and waited. When Hisashi looked up, the first thing he saw was the being’s flat chest. The being was a man?

“I simply prefer this form for most occasions,” the being responded.

“… I thought you said that you don’t normally read minds,” Hisashi recalled, taking a moment to recover from his uneasiness.

“You looked very disturbed,” the being replied. “I wanted to know why.”

Hisashi clicked his tongue and asked, “Can you stop doing that to me?”

The being simply nodded and shrugged, completely nonchalant to Hisashi’s discomfort.

Hisashi looked at the being’s chest again and then at their face. His eyes naturally darted down lower, in search of the being’s crotch but that was hidden by water and steam.

“Pervert.”

“I’m not-! Don’t call me that!” Hisashi snapped. “It’s not deliberate-”

“Then, what  _ is _ it?”

“I’m just trying to figure out if you’re a man or a-”

“Does it really matter?” the being huffed.

Hisashi gave the being a pained look. “It's very confusing when you're coming at me the way a woman would but you're actually…"

"What? Can't stomach liking a man?"

"Whoever said I liked you?!"

"Ah. Of course. You don't, do you?" the being muttered, sounding somewhat forlorn as he backed away.

"Wait, I don't mean it that way!" Hisashi blurted, suddenly realising that he might have offended the being. He stepped forward towards the being who proceeded to ignore him and sink down to disappear underwater. "Wait!" Hisashi called again, standing at the water's edge in confusion. Did the being really submerge underwater? Wasn't it too hot to do that?

"I know what you meant."

Hisashi spun around to find the being behind him, casually fastening his sheer white robe around his slim waist. Surprised, he stuttered, “W- Weren’t you just…?”

“Yes, I was,” the being replied, turning around to reach for his thicker robe.

“Then, how did you get dry so quickly?”

“It is beyond your comprehension,” the being smiled, squinting his eyes in a shallow smile. “Do you enjoy watching me dress?” he asked as he put on his clothes with a flourish.

“What’s wrong with a man watching another man dress?” Hisashi retorted quickly.

“Ah, well. I suppose this is nothing to a pervert who hides and watches another bathe,” the being teased.

“That was not on purpose!” Hisashi denied. “How was I supposed to know there was someone else up here on this mountain?!”

“Oh, there are a lot of ‘someone else’s around here,” the being laughed softly, hiding his smile behind a sleeve. Walking away from the hot spring, he added, “That aside, I hung my clothes up, didn’t I?” 

“And  _ you _ were watching me bathe last night, weren’t you?” Hisashi accused, following the being. In the back of his mind, the being’s brief mention of other people’s presences here unnerved him. Or… were those he mentioned not actual  _ people _ per se?

“What’s wrong with a cat watching a person bathe?” the being replied, grinning from ear to ear. He was clearly enjoying the banter.

“There’s something wrong when that  _ cat is not just a cat _ ,” Hisashi huffed.

"But you didn't chase me off, did you?" the being pointed out.

"I didn't know what you really were, did I?" Hisashi retorted.

"And what  _ am _ I? the being asked, looking intently at Hisashi.

"You…" Hisashi paused, surprised by the sudden question. In all honesty, he still didn't know. Maybe he should ask a local priest… After a moment's thought, he decided to answer, "Not just a cat."

The being let out a short laugh and turned away. "Indeed."

"Come to think of it… you didn't chase me off either," Hisashi muttered.

"Neither did you run away," the being smirked. "Pervert."

Hisashi's eyes flashed and he clicked his tongue, upset by the label. "Stop calling me that! I'm not a pervert!"

The being simply laughed, thoroughly amused by Hisashi's exasperation as they arrived back on the path. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

Hisashi shot him a wary glance, feet turned in the direction of his original destination; the stream. “What?”

“Why do you talk to me?”

“Um…” That was a good question. So good that Hisashi didn’t quite know how to answer him either.

“You said you don’t like me, and you know what I’m after, so why do you still interact with me?” the being asked again.

“I don’t… quite know,” Hisashi answered, meeting the being’s inquisitive golden eyes. “I prefer you as a cat, though.”

“Aren’t you more of a dog person?” the being smiled.

“What?” Hisashi blurted. “Who told you that?”

Once again, the being giggled lightly and, instead of replying Hisashi, disappeared into the forest with a flutter and a rustle, leaving Hisashi alone once more.


	7. 7

"Ouh! Imai!" 

Hisashi found himself faced with an enthusiastic greeting and a clap on his back the moment he entered the local izakaya. He turned to look at who swept him up with an arm and was now steering him towards a table.

"Matsumoto! You're here!" Hisashi greeted, surprised that his old friend with a penchant for flashy dressing still remained in this town. "It's been a while!"

"Sure has," Matsumoto grinned. "I'm glad you still recognise me! Come, come, sit!”

“I’d know that smile anywhere,” Hisashi said, settling into the seat he had been shown to. “But what are you doing here? I thought you wanted to move to the capital. What happened to that plan?”

“Actually, I did go over for a bit,” Matsumoto revealed as he stuck a hand into a concealed shelf nearby. “But I couldn’t stand how lonely it was, so I came back,” he went on while pulling out a bottle and opening it. “People in the city aren’t as friendly as I thought they would be.”

“Why didn’t you come look us up?” Hisashi asked, chagrined that Matsumoto had such a bad experience where he called home. “If you told us beforehand…”

“Well, I didn’t know your address, for one,” Matsumoto chuckled as he put a small drinking cup down in front of Hisashi and began pouring him a drink. “And I honestly didn’t expect the capital to be  _ that _ big. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in one place before.”

“It’s definitely something else compared to here,” Hisashi laughed. “I bet you thought you could easily find us.”

Matsumoto nodded with a self-deprecating laugh. “I did! Foolishly,” he said before gesturing at the cup while putting the bottle down next to it. “Drink, drink,” Matsumoto urged.

“Hey, I came here on a budget to work,” Hisashi told even as he reached for the cup.

“Bah! Don’t pretend to be so hardworking,” Matsumoto quipped, waving a hand as if dismissing the idea. “We both know you're not like that.”

Hisashi smirked, humming in agreement before he drank it all down in one shot. Slamming the cup down on the counter, he let out a satisfied exclamation and said, “That hits the spot!”

“That’s right!” Matsumoto spurred. “Isn’t it great to be back?”

“It sure is,” Hisashi concurred, pouring himself another cup. “It’s so nostalgic, the way things stay the same. Yet some things are different…” he added to himself as the thought of the cat being came to mind.

“Oh, yeah? What’s different?” asked Matsumoto.

“Well…” Hisashi paused. Should he mention the cat being? … “You’re taller for one.”

“T'cha! Well, I can’t stay child-sized forever, can I?” Matsumoto laughed. “Ah… you never change,” he sighed, smiling as he shook his head. Looking at Hisashi, Matsumoto said, “Make sure you drink your fill, alright? This bottle’s on the house. Call it your ‘welcome back’ drink.”

“Oh? On the house? Says who?” Hisashi asked, surprised.

“Says me,” Matsumoto beamed, jabbing a thumb at himself.

“ _ You? _ ” Hisashi blurted, incredulous. “Who would let you run a business?”

“Well, my old man can’t quite run the place like he used to any more since he got sick so it’s not like he’s got a choice, you know,” Matsumoto chuckled a little less cheerily now.

"How's he doing?" Hisashi asked, sitting up and handed the filled cup to Matsumoto. "Have a drink."

"Thanks," Matsumoto mumbled, accepting it. Swallowing, he assured, "Honestly, he's doing better now, I think. He's rather antsy that he can't work. Convinced I've run the place into the ground."

"I'm honestly surprised you haven't," Hisashi joked with a smirk.

"Oy, have a little faith in me, won't you?" Matsumoto huffed, passing the cup back to Hisashi. "On the other hand, I can't believe your father would trust you enough to send you here on your own."

"Ah, well," Hisashi grimaced. "He probably thought of this as a way to keep me from causing him any more embarrassment," he muttered. "Probably thinks that I'd be under more supervision here among everyone."

"Oh ho? I smell a juicy story there," Matsumoto wriggled his eyebrows with a lopsided smile.

"Eh, there's not much to it. It's just my father being my father," Hisashi grumbled, drinking the next cup of rice wine himself. "I'm not complaining, though. About coming back here," he added as he leaned back in his seat, finally feeling the alcohol working in him.

A short yell sounded from another corner of the izakaya, catching Matsumoto's attention. Matsumoto turned around and raised his hand, indicating that he would go over. "I guess I gotta get to work. Tell me more later, alright? Don't get too drunk before that," he said quickly, leaving Hisashi's side to tend to another table.

"Right, don't worry about that. I can drink all night if you asked me to," Hisashi responded with a smile as he poured himself another drink.

Just as Matsumoto left, Hisashi was quickly approached by one of the waitresses in the establishment. "Good evening, sir. Would you like some food to go with your drink?"

"Uh, no, I'm good, thanks," Hisashi muttered. He was still full from finishing the dinner that Aunty prepared before he came out into town.

"Or would you like some company instead?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, no," Hisashi quickly denied. That wasn't what he came here for. "I really just came here to catch up with Matsumoto-"

"Ah. Are you two close?"

"Huh?" Hisashi blurted, surprised by the sudden change in topic. "Well, we did spend much of our childhood years together."

"You must know quite a lot about him then," the lady remarked.

"Um… I don't know if you can really say that," Hisashi mumbled. Was she interested in Matsumoto?

"Oy! Hanako! Stop flirting and get moving!" Matsumoto's voice suddenly cut across the room.

"I'm not-! Yessir…"

Hisashi watched with amusement as Hanako's face changed from shock to mild indignation, and finally, to resignation before she hurried away. It looks like she really did have a thing for Matsumoto. Hisashi looked over at Matsumoto who was happily chatting with other guests while bringing them more and more drinks. He didn't seem to be aware of it.

Matsumoto looked up when another person entered the izakaya and his face lit up. Hm? Curious, Hisashi turned to see who it was. He didn't recognise the slender, delicate-featured man but judging from they way Matsumoto greeted him with an enthusiastic hug, Matsumoto sure did.

Watching the two of them interact was interesting. Hisashi couldn't recall a time when Matsumoto was ever this… touchy with anyone.  _ Hm? _ Matsumoto spoke to the man in quiet whispers and the next moment, Hisashi earned a glance along with what seemed like a pleasantly amused ‘oh’ from the man. Not expecting it, Hisashi blinked and turned away, gulping down his drink. What on earth did Matsumoto tell him?

Hisashi thought that the stranger’s look meant that he was going to come over, but instead, nothing happened. He looked across the izakaya once more and realised that he could find neither Matsumoto or the stranger anywhere. Where did they go?

Shrugging to himself, Hisashi decided to mind his own business and enjoy his drink. Now left to his own devices, Hisashi’s mind was free to wander, to contemplate the past few days since he came back.

While his return started out rather… eventfully, it had been three days since Hisashi last saw the cat being. He thought the cat would come looking for him during his time on the mountain or visit his home more but he seemed to have disappeared completely. Hisashi sighed and took a drink. That last time…

Hisashi could still see the being's silhouette in his mind's eye; that luxuriant dark hair, unmarked back, delicate waist, slim hips… Clearing his throat, Hisashi took another drink and swallowed. Well, it wasn't as if those weren't things he didn't have himself. Maybe except for the hair.

Hisashi shifted in his seat at the memory, annoyed at how his mind fixated on that scene and the being's terribly attractive face. He had seen other men in the buff loads of times before during his many trips to public bathhouses so what was so special about this particular body that made him-

"What the-!" Hisashi jerked away the moment he felt something touch his face from the side, almost spilling his drink. Heart in his throat, he stared wide-eyed at the smug-looking, golden-eyed 'cat' sitting next to him as it wrapped its tail around itself to cover its paws.

"Where did you come from?" Hisashi asked in a whisper, his eyes darting around with silent anxiety to see if anyone had noticed the cat as well. It seemed like everyone was too occupied with their own business to notice. "I don't think they allow animals in here."

"Oh, I don't think they'll mind," the cat said in a voice Hisashi recognised.

"What the fuck," Hisashi swore. Facing the table he quickly poured himself another cup and drank it immediately. "What the fuck," he repeated to himself, shaking his head. Did he just see an animal speak?

"Is it so surprising when you already know that I'm not a mere animal?" The cat asked with a smile.

"Please don't do that," Hisashi mumbled, rubbing his temples. This was getting a little too much.

Instead of hearing that voice again, Hisashi heard the cat's familiar 'ah' and felt the cat stepping into his lap. Immediately, he looked down and began protesting, "Hey, hey, hold it there. Who said you could-"

"Where'd that animal come from?!" Matsumoto's exclamation cut in.

The cat seemed unperturbed, simply curling up against Hisashi as Matsumoto approached with the stranger.

"Hey! Hey, shoo!" Matsumoto hissed, flicking his hands at the nonchalant cat. "God, that's a huge cat," he remarked when he came closer.

"With a gorgeous coat," Matsumoto's friend added.

Upon hearing that comment, the cat raised its head and looked up at Matsumoto and his friend peering down at him.

"And beautiful eyes too," Matsumoto's friend beamed.

The second compliment made the cat sit up with interest and blink his dazzling eyes at the stranger.

"Still, we can't have an animal in here," Matsumoto maintained with his hands on his hips. "Imai, did you bring it in?" he asked.

"What? Me? Did you see me come in with anything?" Hisashi questioned indignantly.

"Is it a stray, then?" Matsumoto's friend asked.

"Huh… I've never seen a stray which looks like that, Hayashi," Matsumoto muttered. "It looks more like a wild thing."

"But it's so tame," Hayashi gushed, reaching a hand out to scratch the cat's head.

The cat didn't retaliate. He simply squeezed his eyes shut, sort of smiling as he enjoyed the scratching.

“Look at it,” Hayashi cooed. “Can we keep it?”

“Actually,” Hisashi piped up as he put an arm around the cat, “I think he might’ve followed me here from the capital. I kind of remember seeing a cat which looks like him in our garden a couple of weeks back.”

“Hm?” Hayashi hummed, intrigued. “A city boy with his city cat?”

"How did you know I came from the city?" Hisashi asked.

But his question seemed to have gone unheard as Matsumoto said, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“It just came to mind,” Hisashi answered vaguely.

“Do city cats look like that?” Matsumoto asked Hayashi.

“Not that I know of,” Hayashi replied, looking intently at the cat. He was obviously still very interested in the large animal. “They tend to be a tad smaller too.”

“You’ve been to the capital?” Hisashi asked.

“I’m  _ from _ the capital,” Hayashi smiled.

"Hunh?" Hisashi blinked, surprised. "What are you doing in a place like this then?"

Hayashi's eyes flitted to Matsumoto for a brief moment before answering, "I needed a break, and your old friend here told me about this quaint little place."

"So you intend to go back someday?" Hisashi asked.

"We'll see," Hayashi smiled, giving a vague answer of his own. "Now, about the cat…"

"I guess I'll take him home," Hisashi blurted. He could sense the cat looking up at him. "You can't have cats in here, right?"

"I mean… you could just put it outside," Matsumoto suggested.

"He'll probably just come back inside after a while," Hisashi raised as the cat stood up and put his paw on Hisashi's chest. He tried to remove the paw but the cat seemed set on touching Hisashi.

"Or I could take the pretty thing home," Hayashi said.

"Uh…" Truth be told, Hisashi didn't quite like that idea.

The cat seemed preoccupied, pawing at Hisashi's chest until his paw slipped between the folds of Hisashi's kimono. Hisashi looked down in surprise as the cat pushed its paw between his clothes and began to step in.

"Hey!" Hisashi barked, intending to catch the cat's attention and stop whatever it was doing but instead, the cat ignored him, proceeding to get under his clothes and curl up against his body. "What do you think you're doing?" he huffed.

The cat stuck his head out, bumping against Hisashi's chin as he rubbed his furry face all over the protesting Hisashi.

"I think it intends to stick with you, Imai," Matsumoto observed, laughing at Hisashi's predicament.

“I guess it’s made its choice,” Hayashi sighed wistfully.

“I’ll take him home,” Hisashi repeated with resignation, supporting the weight of the cat with an arm as he stood up.

Matsumoto plugged a cap on Hisashi’s sake bottle and handed it to him, saying, “You can finish it at home. But bring the bottle back when you’re done, won’t you?”

“Thanks. Will do,” Hisashi promised, taking the bottle from Matsumoto. “Well,” he sighed, looking at Hayashi. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to speak properly next time.”

“Argh, yeah, I wanted to introduce you to him, but the cat…” Matsumoto muttered. “Anyway, Imai, Hayashi. Hayashi, Imai.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hisashi bowed, formally greeting Hayashi and he was met with a similar formal address. Before Hisashi could say anything else, the cat ‘ah’-ed and hit his jaw with a paw. “Argh!”

“Alright, get going before your face gets clawed off,” Matsumoto chased, ushering Hisashi out of his izakaya. “I heard you’ll be here for a long while so we still have time to catch up.”

Hisashi nodded and was about to bid goodbye when the cat meowed again as if in agreement. Hisashi glared down at the cat while he looked up at Hisashi from under the clothes with his large eyes. "How dare you look at me like that when I'm getting kicked out because of you."

Matsumoto laughed and smacked Hisashi on his shoulder, nudging him to go as Matsumoto himself turned to go back into the izakaya. "Right, have fun dealing with that," he laughed. "See you around."

"See you around," Hisashi returned, commencing his walk home with the cat.

As Hisashi strolled through the town, the cat spoke, "To think that someone who told me to get out of his house three days ago is taking me back now."

"Whoever said I'm letting you in?" Hisashi retorted without looking at him, keeping his voice low. It was still early enough in the night that people were still out and about. "I could just toss you outside the forest once we get back," he added, glancing down at the cat as they passed a stone lantern.

When Hisashi turned his attention back to the path ahead, he could feel the cat moving in his arm without a word said. Hisashi looked down. The cat no longer faced him lying belly up. He had turned around and now hid his face. Was he upset?

"So, where have you been?" Hisashi asked, hoping to break the silence.

"None of your business." Great. The cat  _ was _ upset.

"Hey, I was just joking, alright?" Hisashi said, shaking the cat with his arm as his muscles started to burn. The cat was seriously heavy.

"Don't lie. You meant it," the cat replied.

"Oh, come on," Hisashi groaned.

"I should've chosen to go with that Hayashi guy instead," the cat went on. "At least  _ someone _ appreciates my beauty."

"Why did you even come to the izakaya?" Hisashi huffed in exasperation. Now that they were surrounded by rice fields, he didn't need to worry about being seen. 

"Because  _ someone _ was thinking rather intensely of me," the cat snapped. "I should've just ignored him."

"Who?" Hisashi asked, feigning ignorance even as he felt his cheeks grow warm.

"I could hear your lecherous calls from seven worlds away, you pervert," the cat hissed.

“My- my what?!” Hisashi stuttered at the accusation. “I’ve never-! How is it even possible-?!”

“Don’t even try to pretend you didn’t think like that,” the cat huffed, sticking its tail out of the opening in Hisashi’s kimono. “I’m sure you’ve heard that people know when someone is thinking of them. It’s a thousand times easier to sense for beings like myself.”

“You make it sound like it’s impossible to keep my thoughts to myself,” Hisashi muttered.

“It’s not impossible,” the cat informed. “I’ve already agreed not to read your mind but you’re the one who was yearning so loudly.”

“I didn’t mean to-”

“Do you really mean anything you do or say?”

“I do!” Hisashi stressed.

“First, you told me to get out of your house, then, a mere few minutes later, you let me back in-”

“You were very insistent-”

“You’ve also said you want me to leave you alone, but you pull me into your lap and start petting me,” the cat went on, shifting around to sit up.

Hisashi looked away. “Well, I… uh…”

“You say you prefer dogs but look at what you’ve been doing with a cat,” the cat intoned as he narrowed his eyes.

“I never told you that!” Hisashi exclaimed.

“You think of me but you deny it-”

“My mind just went there, I didn’t deliberately want to!”

“You acted like you didn’t know me in front of your people then you say you do. And then you say you’re taking me home even though you said you didn’t want me… around…”

The cat’s voice suddenly faded away, turning silent as he snapped his head to Hisashi’s left. Finding it odd, Hisashi, too, looked in that direction, following the cat’s line of sight to the old temple located right at the edge of town between the Imai family’s residence and the main town area. The temple grounds were typically closed by sunset and at this time of the night, it should be empty but something seemed to intrigue the cat.

Hisashi felt the cat putting his paws on his shoulder, stretching up to a higher vantage point to look at whatever he was fixated on. It was dark in that direction and it took a while for Hisashi’s eyes to adjust. When they did, he finally saw what the cat did.

Next to one of the two fox statues guarding the entrance to the temple was someone standing in the gloom and from what Hisashi could see, that someone was looking back at them.

A chill ran down Hisashi’s spine. “Hey,” he nudged the cat. “Let’s go home.”

The cat didn’t respond.

Hisashi fixed his eyes on the largely unlit path ahead, leading straight out of town and up the short slope to his residence. “Let’s go home,” he repeated, hugging the cat and gripping his sake bottle a little tighter as he began to walk briskly. “Let’s go home and I’ll give you all the scratches you want.”

Even as they left the area, Hisashi could tell that the cat was still staring at whoever was at the temple. This was getting rather unnerving. He shook the cat again, hoping to get it to respond and give him some sense of reassurance. “Hey, I’ll even let you bathe with me if you want,” he added.

“Oh, really?” the cat finally spoke.

Hisashi felt a wave of relief wash over him when he heard that voice. Still hugging the cat, he muttered into his fur, “Honestly, I prefer it if you stick to meowing when you’re in this form.”

“Shall I bathe with you in my human form then?”

“No. No, thank you,” Hisashi quickly replied.

“Ah, oh well,” the cat sighed, resting his head on Hisashi’s shoulder now.

“Please meow,” Hisashi asked again and he heard a soft chuckle followed by a gentle ‘ah’ from the cat. “Thank you,” he muttered, kneading the back of the cat’s neck as he started ascending the slope, eager to get home.

While Hisashi knew that the cat had ulterior motives, after what he saw earlier, he would very much rather not be alone tonight. He had no idea what that could have been, but perhaps it was his good luck that the cat being had taken a liking to him while Hisashi was still in the capital. After all, the cat being had already saved him once.


	8. 8

Hisashi rolled tobacco leaves between his fingers, turning it into a ball before putting the sphere into the bowl of his kiseru. He struck a match and when it flared up, he noticed the way the cat's eyes shone with interest as he watched Hisashi light the leaves.

Waving the match to extinguish it, Hisashi took a couple of quick puffs from the kiseru, getting the embers going before finally relaxing against the support beam on the engawa outside his room. He reached for the bottle of sake and opened it as he exhaled white smoke. Seeing the smoke swirls, the cat raised a paw and reached up, batting around as if trying to catch the smoke or wave it away.

Hisashi smiled at the cat's carefree antics and took a swig from the bottle. It was a good sign for him to see the cat like this. Considering how tense he became when they passed the temple earlier, Hisashi figured that if the cat was this blithe, he could relax too.

It wasn't that Hisashi had forgotten that this cat was a creature which was after his soul. He had simply come to the conclusion that the cat being would have to keep him alive and well if he truly desired what he sought.

Hisashi realised this earlier when he was bathing while the cat lounged and watched him. It was weird, being watched, but he decided to bear with it. He wanted to keep the cat around tonight. Just in case whoever was at the temple decided to come up and pay him a visit.

Hisashi sucked in a deep breath through the kiseru and exhaled in an attempt to soothe the unease that crept in with the memory. The way the dark figure seemed to watch them was chilling. That the silhouette looked foreign didn’t help. And to add to that, the way the cat reacted, the way he suddenly turned so still and silent, acting as if Hisashi didn't exist…

Bringing the bottle to his lips once more, Hisashi took a long drink from it in an attempt to wash away his apprehension. He felt a weight on his lap and looked down. The cat was now flopped on his side with his head on Hisashi’s thigh. Hisashi couldn’t help but let a small smile onto his lips. Reassured, he put the bottle aside, switching it for the cat’s head as he gave him his promised scratches.

Hisashi could feel the cat's warmth in his palm along with the gentle vibrations of his soft purring. After a couple of nights without him, it felt nice to have the cat's company once more. But he had been wondering…

"You know, you never said where you've been these past few days," Hisashi thought aloud.

Suddenly, fur turned to skin and the being asked, “Do you really want me to answer you?”

Hisashi snapped his hand away in surprise. Staring wide-eyed that the smug face in his lap, he muttered, “Don’t lie on me like that.”

“Ah, but didn’t you enjoy stroking under my chin like this?” The being said, mimicking the movement of Hisashi’s fingers on said spot.

“Stroking a cat and stroking a person are two  _ very _ different things,” Hisashi replied stiffly, keeping his hands a good distance away from the being.

The being hummed and sat up, clothes swishing with his movement. Gathering his hair up, he ran his fingers through the locks, bringing it to his front as he said, “So. Do you really want to know? Or did you not mean it, again?”

“I… I’m just… curious,” Hisashi answered. “A bit.”

“Were you worried?”

“Huh?” 

“Were you worried that you haven’t seen me?” The being asked with a strange smile on his face.

“Uh… Not… particularly?” Hisashi replied hesitantly. He wasn’t quite certain that there was a correct answer to such a question.

“Oh,” the being mumbled, his smile immediately replaced by a rather glum expression.

Hisashi thought that the being would say something else, perhaps answer the question, but instead, he remained silent, idly fidgeting with his hair while staring into space. Taking a puff from his kiseru, Hisashi asked again, “So… Did you go anywhere special?”

The being turned sharply and looked at Hisashi, as if snapping out of a trance. Hisashi tensed, watching as the being blinked and gradually reverted back to normal. “Anywhere special…” the being mumbled. “Nowhere special. I was up there,” he pointed up at the mountain, “and maybe around the other side, exploring.”

“Hm,” Hisashi responded, taking another puff. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that high up or to the other side,” he mused

“I could take you there,” the being offered, sounding a little more lighthearted and a little less absent.

“Wouldn’t it take more than a day to climb or cross?” Hisashi estimated. “I don’t know if it’s worth the trouble. After all, I’m here to fulfil orders.”

“It would,” the being agreed. “But I could take you there without the need for you to spend that much time or energy.”

Hisashi gave the being a long look. “… How?”

“It is beyond your comprehension,” the being winked, repeating that line he said before.

“It sounds more like you can’t be bothered to explain it to me,” Hisashi scoffed and folded his arms.

“That,” the being grinned, “is also correct.”

Hisashi sighed and rolled his eyes, sucking on his kiseru once more as the being laughed at his reaction.

"So?" The being asked. "Interested?"

"Only if there's anything that's worth  _ your _ effort," Hisashi specified. If he didn't need to trek or take any time to travel there, it must be at some sort of expense to the being.

"Hmm…" The being lay on his side, head propped up against an elbow as he thought about it. "Well… There are a few friendly natives I met," he recalled.

"Natives?"

"A couple of tanukis… A dog… A fox… Some deer… A troupe of monkeys… I think there was a boar too," the being listed, counting them on his fingers.

"… Animals," Hisashi concluded flatly.

The being gave him a thin smile and a soft laugh. "Perhaps… more."

"Probably not worth the effort then," Hisashi shrugged, drinking a mouthful of sake.

"I think you'd like them if you met them," the being said, watching him.

" _ I  _ think having you around is more than enough," Hisashi returned.

"I'm not an animal," the being muttered, raising a disgruntled eyebrow.

"You're… more, right?" Hisashi smirked, reusing the being's words.

" _ Much _ more," the being glared. "Do I look anything like an animal to you?"

Hisashi looked the being once over. "No. But yet you're not human either," he remarked.

"Because I'm more than that and both combined," the being said, looking down his nose at Hisashi as he sat up and switched to a more regal posture.

"What are you, really?" Hisashi asked.

"Depends on who you ask," the being said, casting his eyes to the sky. "Some say I'm a spirit. Some say I'm a deity. Some say I'm a demon. Some say I'm a god."

"But what do  _ you _ think you are?"

"An immortal," the being shrugged. "Simple as that."

"An immortal who's after my soul," Hisashi added.

"We all have our vices, don't we?" The being smiled.

"I guess…" Hisashi muttered, taking another drink. He thought about what the being said so far and after a moment, he surmised, "I suppose eating souls makes you feel good for you to call it a vice, then."

"It's less of 'eat' and more of 'drink'," the being corrected. "And yes, it does feel good," he went on, leaning forward. "But how good depends on the quality of the soul itself. Which is why I'm very much looking forward to yours."

"What if… I let you have a taste and you don't like it?" Hisashi asked. Maybe he would be free of this if the being found him disappointing. But, on second thought, wouldn't that also mean that the being might leave for good?

"Oh, don't you worry about that," the being smiled, crawling closer. "I have confidence in my ability to sniff out a tasty one."

For some reason, Hisashi didn't feel the urge to back away from the encroaching pretty face this time around. Instead, he stayed in his spot and puffed on his kiseru before saying, "But what if I really do taste so bad that I'm no better than that man who attacked me?"

"Then, I guess I have no reason to stay," the being said with a hint of melancholy in his voice. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Would he really? Hisashi looked away and drank deeply from the bottle. It was almost empty now. Staring into the distance, he considered his options. He could give the being his permission now, following which he would either be tied to the being or free of him. On the other hand, he could wait… But there was no guarantee that the being would stay.

Warm fingers touched Hisashi's cheek. "You're considering it," the being breathed, almost in awe. "Did my absence convince you? … Or did it worry you?"

Hisashi met the being's amber eyes for a brief moment before looking down at the kiseru glowing in the moonlight. He wasn't sure either.

Maybe it was the companionship. Even with Aunty in the house, it was lonely wandering the mountain on his own. He had only been at it for four days and he already felt like this. He couldn't imagine keeping at this for months more.

Or maybe he liked the idea that there was someone looking out for him. While Hisashi was familiar with the town, he still felt alone here without his family. And he couldn't quite rely on the townspeople either. None of them knew the mountain well enough to come and look for him if anything were to happen.

"If I were to give you my permission now, can I revoke it whenever I want?" Hisashi asked.

At this, the being scrunched his face up with distaste. "You… could," he acknowledged. "But…"

"But?"

"That… might… be irrevocable," the being answered reluctantly.

Well, that sounded like a fine deal to Hisashi. All of it seemed to depend heavily on him and somehow could work in his favour however he liked. But it couldn't be that simple, could it?

"What happens if I do that?" Hisashi asked.

"You won't," the being assured, his usual confidence returning. "I'll make sure you're happy enough that it'll never cross your mind. After all, no one has ever revoked theirs."

"Huh. I guess I'm not the first one you've proposed this to then," Hisashi muttered, feeling a little put off for some reason.

"Unfortunately not," the being chuckled. "I've lived far too long for you to be lucky number one," he teased, stroking Hisashi's jaw with his finger. "So? How about it?"

"I guess…," Hisashi looked down at his kiseru, observing the moonlight reflecting off it as he pondered. This really didn't sound like too bad a deal. "It can't hurt if there were others who have done this before me, can it?" He eventually surmised.

"I promise to make sure it doesn't," the being beamed. "So, is that a yes?" he asked again.

Hisashi met the being's hopeful golden eyes for a brief moment before darting away towards the forest again. Did he really want this? It was as good as selling his soul away to some sort of entity. It didn't sound like a good idea put like this, but the being hadn't done Hisashi any harm during this time. Instead, he somehow seemed like he sought to help Hisashi.

Hisashi gave the being a once-over, purposely avoiding his gaze. He didn't want to be swayed by those captivating eyes but he noticed how the being cocked his head to one side, intrigued by what Hisashi was doing. Hisashi couldn't help but wonder what if this… innocence was all an act by the being. What if he turned into something sinister after Hisashi gave his permission? Well, the being did say that he could revoke it. But what if that was a lie?

"It's a tough decision, isn't it?" The being remarked.

"I don't think I've ever thought so hard about anything before," Hisashi muttered.

The being laughed lightly. "You don't  _ have _ to decide now," he said. "I'll still be around."

"No," Hisashi said before downing the last of his sake. He didn't quite want to dwell on this any longer. "I'll let you have it," he decided.

"You'll… Really?" The being mumbled, amber eyes large with surprise.

"Yes, really," Hisashi repeated firmly, looking into those golden eyes this time. "You can have it."

"Well, I… thank you," the being blinked as Hisashi's words sank in.

"So? What happens now?" Hisashi asked, looking around to see if anything strange was happening. "Am I supposed to sign a contract or something of the sort?"

The being burst out laughing. "Oh, no," he chuckled. "This isn't that formal a procedure."

"Then…"

"I'll take my first sip of you then," the being said, kneeling in front Hisashi. "Would you prefer it if I refrained from touching you?"

"I don't particularly mind," Hisashi muttered. Was such a question necessary?

"Good," the being smiled. "If that's the case, I can make it a little more enjoyable for you."

"Huh?"

Taking hold of Hisashi’s hand, the being took Hisashi by surprise when he placed it on his waist and leaned forward. Before Hisashi could say anything, soft lips pressed against his own as the being kissed him slow.

Hisashi was too stunned to react. His first instinct was to push the being away, but he was afraid that he might offend him. He didn’t quite know what else to do now. Although, honestly, this wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, he could possibly, as the being said, enjoy it. This was despite the fact that the being was supposed to be a man. Maybe he could ignore that.

Hisashi closed his eyes and allowed himself to respond to the being’s kiss, parting his lips and moving with the being as he snaked his arms around the being’s slender waist. But just as Hisashi was getting into it, the being broke the kiss.

Hisashi frowned when he heard the being’s laughter. “Do you do something?”

“I haven’t done anything,” came the being’s reply along with a caress on Hisashi’s neck.

“Then what was that for?” Hisashi asked, opening his eyes as the being shifted onto his lap.

“I wanted to know how repulsed you would be by me,” the being answered, eyes wandering around Hisashi’s face from a mere inch away now.

“And?”

“It appears that you are not,” the being said with a soft smile on his face. “I’m glad.”

Feeling embarrassed for some unknown reason, Hisashi cleared his throat and looked away, avoiding the being’s eyes as he muttered, “So, are we doing this or not?”

“Are you ready?”

“I suppose,” Hisashi replied, swallowing the nervousness that has begun to build. “Is this going to do anything to me?” he asked. It would be bad if this left him incapacitated and unable to do the work he was here for.

“You would likely feel tired, maybe a little light-headed,” the being revealed as his fingers traced lines on the back of Hisashi’s neck. “Nothing a good night’s rest won’t remedy.”

“Right…”

“Don’t worry,” the being reassured. “I’ll be careful. I don’t want you unwell either,” he added, now fidgeting with Hisashi’s hair as he came in for a kiss once more.

“Wait!” Hisashi suddenly burst out.

“Yes?” The being asked, unperturbed by the exclamation.

“I just realised I don’t even know your name,” Hisashi mumbled.

The being squinted his eyes as he laughed. “Does it really matter?”

“Feels a bit rude to not know at this stage, doesn’t it?” Hisashi replied.

“Well, then, I’m sorry that I don’t have a name in your language,” the being said, his laughter dying away. “But you can call me whatever you wish.”

“Um… then… Acchan?”

“Acchan?” the being echoed, cocking his head to one side curiously.

“Because of how you meow. It sounds like you’re going ‘Ah~’, ‘Ah~’ so… Acchan,” Hisashi explained.

This earned Hisashi another bout of laughter from the being. “You really like my cat form, don’t you?” he remarked. “Shall I turn back into a cat for this?”

“I have no interest in kissing a cat, though,” Hisashi said quickly.

“You don’t have to,” the being giggled. “Ah, but I’ll explain that another time,” he sighed, still smiling. “I guess that settles it. I’m Acchan,” the being, or rather, Acchan concluded.

“And I suppose I should introduce myself,” Hisashi said, scratching the back of his head. “I’m-”

“Imai Hisashi,” Acchan nodded with a knowing smile.

Hisashi froze. “How did you…”

“Your friends and acquaintances very nicely provided your name many times over,” Acchan divulged with a grin.

“Right,” Hisashi huffed. He should have guessed Acchan had been listening.

“Now.” Hisashi felt hands cupping his face again as Acchan looked into his eyes and asked, “May I?”

Hisashi could feel his heartbeat racing. It could be the nerves from the idea of having such a questionable relationship with an immortal like this. Or it could be the close proximity between Acchan and him. Or it was both. It was most likely both. In any case, Hisashi was the one who put himself in this position. He did agree to it after all. Well, time to lie in the bed he made for himself.

Taking a deep breath, Hisashi nodded and said, “Yes.”

Wasting no time, Acchan kissed him again. It started out the same as before, pleasant and sweet-tasting, but this time, once Hisashi had grown comfortable, he began to feel a gentle tug against something deep inside him that left him somewhat breathless.

The pull gradually grew stronger and along with it, Acchan’s hug grew tighter, holding Hisashi in a firm embrace as he felt something, possibly Acchan, coaxing out whatever was in his core. Hisashi had no idea how Acchan did any of this, but as Acchan mentioned, he started to feel fatigued and light-headed, as if he was about to float away and the instant this happened, the pull quickly eased and subsided.

As the strange tugging sensation faded away, Hisashi felt himself getting lifted up and moved, and moments later, laid down and wrapped up in a comfortable warmth. In this state, it all felt so good that he fell asleep almost immediately, but not before sensing Acchan hugging him and settling in with him for the night with a soft, satisfied, “Thank you.”


	9. 9

Hisashi heard soft breathing as he gradually woke from a dreamless sleep. It felt warmer than most mornings. But that was probably because someone was lying on him with their arms around his neck. Hisashi furrowed his brow. Wasn't he supposed to be living alone?

Hisashi moved slowly, trying not to wake the other person as he opened his eyes to figure out who he lay with. Once his eyes adjusted to the morning light, he was immediately met with a head of long, jet black hair resting on his chest. The sight of it roused in Hisashi a sense of familiarity but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Grunting softly, he lifted a hand and carefully brushed the hair aside to reveal elegant features on a fair-skinned face. The moment the light hit the person's face, eyelashes fluttered and eyes cracked open to… brilliant golden irises.

Hisashi sucked in a sharp breath and stiffened. Was it…? How did this happen?

Tense as Hisashi was, the being didn't seem to notice it. Instead of waking up, he simply breathed deeply and turned away from the light, burying his face in Hisashi's clothes before falling asleep again.

Hisashi, on the other hand, lay wide awake and utterly confused. Lying in bed, he silently searched through his memory of last night for answers. Hisashi recalled visiting the local izakaya, the one which was once run by Matsumoto Senior but now had Matsumoto Junior in charge. He recalled getting a chance to chat with Matsumoto for a bit and hearing about his purportedly brief experience in the capital. That was followed by a friend of Matsumoto’s from the city coming in, and after that, the cat announcing his presence and asserting his claim of Hisashi’s lap.

Hisashi huffed as he remembered the way Matsumoto’s friend seemed particularly interested in the cat. He recalled that he initially wanted to deny any familiarity with the cat but the intensity of that Hayashi’s intrigue towards the cat bothered Hisashi enough to make him take the cat home with him.

Hisashi glanced down at the being’s hand lightly gripping his collar, noticing in the back of his mind the way his fingernails were angled in a way which resembled claws. He definitely had some kind of a soft spot for this feline being for him to bring him home.

As Hisashi listened to the being’s calm breathing, his mind continued replaying his memories on its own, reminding Hisashi of the unknown figure at the temple causing odd behaviour by the cat which resulted in Hisashi rushing home with him and then drinking the remainder of his sake from the izakaya outside his room. He knew for sure that cat was with him the whole time from when he got home until he slept. That was probably why the being was sleeping on him. But wouldn’t the being usually depart before Hisashi wakes up? Why was he still here?

“Hey,” Hisashi whispered, jerking his shoulder to shake the being. He needed answers.

Stirring, the being made a soft noise which resembled something between a meow and purr in the back of his throat.

“Why are you still here?” Hisashi asked.

The being looked up at him blearily with a, “Muh?”

“Shouldn’t you have left by now?”

“Can’t I stay?” the being petulantly asked back.

“Well… sure, but… why?”

The being frowned and buried his face in his arm as if irritated by the light. With a muffled voice, he said, “Just… let me… for a bit more…”

“What happened to you?” Hisashi asked, suddenly struck by concern at the way the being was behaving.

“You…” The being’s golden eye peeked out at Hisashi. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

The being’s frown deepened and he slowly sat up. “Last night?”

"Last night?" Hisashi echoed. "Did we… do something?"

Worry instantly marred the being's elegant features as he gently clasped Hisashi's face in his hands, golden eyes searching for something in Hisashi's own. Hisashi thought he would be unnerved by those eyes but oddly enough, he wasn't.

After a time, the being let go of Hisashi and muttered softly, "You… You're not lying. You do not remember."

"What don't I remember?" Hisashi asked again, growing frustrated at the being's non-answer.

"You gave me a name to address me by," the being replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "for one."

"A name…? But why would I do that?" Hisashi wondered. How could he forget something so significant?

"You asked for my name and I told you I don't have one in your language-"

"Acchan," Hisashi blurted as the name suddenly surfaced in his mind. "Was it Acchan?"

The being's expression brightened as he smiled in relief. "Yes," he nodded.

“How drunk was I to give you such a name,” Hisashi mumbled to himself as he rubbed his face with a hand.

“You think it’s bad?” the being huffed.

“Wha?” Hisashi looked up, surprised at the being’s tone.

“What’s wrong with ‘Acchan’?” the being questioned.

“Well… it’s not exactly a proper name,” Hisashi muttered as the being folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. While the being’s earlier gaze was fine, this was scary. Quickly wracking his brain, Hisashi said, “Um… What about Atsushi?” 

“Is that a proper name?” the being growled.

“Yeah,” Hisashi nodded. “It’s a proper name.”

“Atsushi… Acchan…” The being mumbled to himself as if thinking the two names over. “They’ve got different rings to them…”

“Which do you prefer?”

The being scrunched up his face and decided, “Both.” He looked straight at Hisashi with enthusiasm shining in his eyes. “I want both.”

“So, what do you want me to call you?” Hisashi asked, quietly amused by the being’s interest in this seemingly mundane detail.

“I’ll be Atsushi,” the being said. “But you can call me Acchan.”

“O… kay then,” Hisashi half nodded and shrugged at the same time. He couldn’t understand why the being, Atsushi, was so attached to ‘Acchan’ but that was up to him, wasn’t it? With that settled, Hisashi raised, “You said this was one thing I didn’t seem to recall. So, what was the other?”

At this, Atsushi turned wary. "You're a forgetful drunk, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately," Hisashi grimaced. It had gotten him into trouble more than once before.

Expression terse, Atsushi glanced at Hisashi and looked away multiple times as he reluctantly answered, "You… said 'yes'."

"I said yes?" Hisashi repeated, confused. "To what- … Wait… Is it that…?" He paused as sudden realisation struck him. He couldn't have, could he?

Atsushi met Hisashi's eyes and nodded firmly. "Yes."

"No," Hisashi muttered, disbelieving.

"Yes, you did," Atsushi insisted. "You even let me have a taste," he claimed.

Holding his gaze, Hisashi could tell that Atsushi was not joking. Cursing softly, he groaned, "Way to take advantage of a drunken man."

" _ I did not _ ," Atsushi hissed as his face contorted with indignation. “Don’t you accuse me of that.”

Hisashi winced. “I’m not-”

“ _ I _ told you that you could take your time but  _ you _ wanted to make the decision last night,” Atsushi stressed. “And you said ‘yes’.”

Hisashi sighed heavily, grimacing as he struggled to find a way out of this mess. He had done stupid things before when drunk, but selling his soul to an entity? This probably topped the list.

Considering his options, Hisashi didn’t really see anything viable. He could tell Atsushi his word didn’t count or take it back, but that would likely upset him severely. He could barely imagine what might happen to him then. On the other hand, he could let this be; have Atsushi stick with him for the rest of his life, consuming his soul as and when he pleased.

Hisashi resisted the urge to scowl. What on earth was he thinking when he said yes? There must be something that happened which convinced him to agree to this. But whatever it was, his mind was simply refusing to yield it.

Atsushi stood up, drawing Hisashi’s attention back to him. "I've had enough. I should have never believed that you mean anything you say," he muttered, disappointment evident in his eyes as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Hisashi exclaimed, scrambling to his feet in a panic. But why was he panicking?

Atsushi didn't wait. All he did was pause at the threshold between the room and the garden outside to add, "Know that you were exquisite. It's a pity that you have to be like that." With that, Atsushi went out and closed the door behind him.

"Wait!" Hisashi rushed after him and slid the door back open with a loud snap but Atsushi was already gone. Where did he go? He couldn't have left for good, could he? It sounded like that, but… 

"Is something the matter?" Aunty's voice came from inside the house.

Hisashi turned and saw her worried face at the entrance to his room. It looked like she might have heard the commotion. How was he to explain this? Still in shock at Atsushi's sudden departure, his mouth was agape but he had no idea what to say.

"I heard you yelling and shoving the door open," Aunty said with a quick glance at Hisashi's unmade futon. "What's got you so worked up this morning?"

"I… Cat…" Hisashi muttered, struggling to form a sentence.

"Cat?" Aunty echoed with raised eyebrows. "There was a cat?"

"He… left," Hisashi said as it slowly sank in, leaving a hollow feeling in his chest. What is this? It was a curious feeling. Shouldn't he be glad that he was free of Atsushi? "I think I lost him," he added breathlessly.

"Oh, don't you worry, dear," Aunty chuckled upon seeing his misery. "If it's a cat, just leave some food out for it and it'll come back soon enough. I can prepare it for you if you want," she offered.

But Atsushi wasn't just any other cat.  _ Hisashi _ was the food. "No," he mumbled, slowly shaking his head. "I think… I'll wait and see…"

"Alright, then," Aunty nodded with a smile. "Now, go get washed up. Breakfast is ready," she informed as she walked away. "And stop worrying about the cat," she added. "It should be able to take care of itself."

Hisashi nodded to himself with a sigh. That was true. Atsushi was definitely capable of that. But he was still worried.

Crouching down, Hisashi started making his bed, sighing again forlornly. He couldn't figure out what was going to happen now. His had supposedly pledged his soul to Atsushi but if Atsushi was really gone for good, what was to become of him?

Hisashi pursed his lips and huffed at himself. He was truly too good at getting himself into trouble. Maybe all he could do now was waiting for Atsushi's return.

Out of nowhere, the temple at the edge of town suddenly came to mind and a light went off in Hisashi's head. Perhaps he should pay them a visit. Maybe he could find some answers there. If not… If not, then what?


	10. 10

Hisashi groaned as he sat down on a rock by the river. He had been at this for a little over a week already but his body still ached like it hadn't gotten accustomed to this lifestyle of trekking around the mountain and picking things. Maybe he needed a day off.

Removing his pack, Hisashi set it aside and dipped his hands into the cool water. He washed his face and slapped his wet hands on his exposed skin to and cool off. Stretching his legs out, Hisashi let out a long exhale as he leaned back and made himself comfortable, supporting himself with his hand behind him while he looked to the sky.

The moment he began to relax, a small voice in the back of his mind started reminding Hisashi of his intention to visit the temple. He grimaced and hummed to himself. He knew that he should, but while he did feel an urgency to do so a few days ago, he started thinking that it might be fine if he didn't go anyway. After all, nothing out of the ordinary had happened since Atsushi took his leave and Hisashi felt perfectly fine, so… he should be alright.

Although, it wasn’t that Hisashi didn’t want to go. He simply had been too caught up with all this exploring and mapping and picking. And by the time he realises how much time he had spent here, the sun was already setting, which meant that the temple would have already been closed by the time he descended the mountain. Hisashi either constantly lost track of time or found himself so worn out that he couldn’t summon the energy to go over.

Stretching his neck to the left, then the right, Hisashi felt the strain in his shoulders and groaned. He should probably take a break tomorrow. That would give him time to relax with his reading or his shamisen or visit the town during the day. And the temple.

Hisashi narrowed his eyes as he considered it while cloud gazing but after a moment, he shrugged to himself and decided that he would see how he felt about it tomorrow. He was fine after all. He hadn’t seen or experienced anything out of the ordinary in the past few days aside from coming across a couple of tanukis and a wild dog while in the mountains.

Although, now that Hisashi thought about it, for some reason, he did glimpse those animals quite a few times. But… well, they belonged on the mountain, didn’t they? This was their home. It was only natural that Hisashi would see woodland creatures while walking around here.

Except… Why would the smaller tanuki be sitting next to Hisashi and looking at him now? He had just spotted out of the corner of his peripheral vision. But even if he didn't see it, he could practically  _ feel _ the stare.

Hisashi dared a glance and it stood up.

Startled, Hisashi quickly looked up at the sky again and pretended that he didn't see the tanuki. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away-

"You're Hisashi, aren't you?"

Hisashi felt his heart stop. Was he mistaken? _ Did the tanuki speak? _ It couldn't have, could it? But as far as Hisashi could tell, there was no one else around here.

"Acchan said that you were more of a dog person but… you don’t look very much like one," the same voice added.

_ Acchan? _ The mention of 'Acchan' could refer to anyone else, but it piqued Hisashi's curiosity enough for him to succumb to it and slowly turn his head to face the tanuki's direction, which was also the direction from which the voice sounded. However, instead of seeing a tanuki, he saw a petite man squatting next to him. His sudden appearance scared Hisashi enough to make him freeze.

"Huh, Acchan wasn't jesting then," the man remarked as he ran his hand through his straight, black hair. “He did say that you'd respond if we mentioned him.”

Staring at the man, all Hisashi could manage was, "… Who…?"

"Ah," the man blinked. "Acchan did say that mentioning the name 'Atsushi' would-"

Hisashi's heart skipped a beat at the proper mention of the name and without a second thought, he interrupted, "You know him?"

"Yeah," the man nodded with a sparkle in his eye. "He hangs out with us."

"Us?" Hisashi echoed.

"Us other inhabitants of this mountain, of course," the man elaborated while Hisashi looked at him with a  blank stare. Pursing his lips, he muttered, "Acchan never said you were daft."

"I am  _ not _ ," Hisashi snapped. Fueled by that indignation, he asked, "Who are you?"

“Acchan said he’s mentioned me to you,” the man said.

“Huh?”

“Acchan did say you probably wouldn’t remember though,” the man added with a jesting sigh and a shake of his head.

Further miffed by that display of disdain, Hisashi growled, “Where did you come from anyway? Don’t you know you’re not supposed to be up here? This is private property.”

“Pft, private property!” The man burst out laughing, falling back to sit on the ground. “I’ve been living here long before any of you even set foot here,” he guffawed.

“What?” Hisashi blurted. The man’s words were giving him pause and his annoyance gave way to confusion.

‘Long before’? Could it be that this man was something similar to Atsushi? That would be a first. Although, the man said that Atsushi had mentioned him before. But, when? … Was it the night when he supposedly sold his soul to Atsushi? Hisashi felt a nagging sense that they did talk about what Atsushi came across on the mountain. He mentioned a few animals, didn’t he? Was it… 

“Tanuki?” Hisashi eventually said, his mind immediately linking back to the tanuki watching him just now. If this man was the same as Atsushi, then that was the most likely answer.

“Mhmm,” the man beamed as he nodded. 

“But… wait…” Hisashi muttered, thinking hard about the myths and legends he used to hear about as a child. “Do you… shapeshift?”

“Of course! We  _ all _ shapeshift,” the man grinned, holding up a… paw.

Hisashi stared hard at it, wide-eyed as the man stretched the digits of his paw, waved it around and put it away. The next thing he knew, the man had two hands again.

“Hasn’t Acchan ever shapeshifted in front of you?” the man asked.

“Well…” Technically, he did but… “I never  _ saw _ it happening.”

The man folded his arms and hummed. “He must be fast then,” he remarked, sticking his lower lip out. “As expected of someone his age,” he added, as if it meant anything to Hisashi.

Hisashi frowned at that but he decided not to ask about it. Instead, there was something else he wanted to know. “Is there something you want from me?”  There had to be a reason why this shapeshifting tanuki approached him. Did it have something to do with Atsushi? … Before the man could answer, Hisashi quickly added, “Or are you after my soul as well?”

The man burst out laughing again. “Nooo,” he denied, slapping his knee as he crossed his legs. “I can’t do anything with souls anyway.”

“But Atsushi…”

“Ah.” The man looked at Hisashi. “Did Acchan call it ‘soul’?” he asked.

Hisashi nodded.

“Hmm…” The man scratched his chin and squinted his eyes as he pondered. “I think…What he truly meant might have been lost in translation.”

Hisashi cocked his head to one side in confusion. “Meaning?”

“Rather than your ‘soul’… I would say what he’s after is more like your ‘energy’,” the man explained. “After all, it’s something that you can replenish over time with rest. You can’t really do that with a soul.”

Listening, Hisashi felt a weight of worry he didn’t know he had lifting. “So… I  _ didn’t _ sell my soul?” he surmised.

“Hah, nope,” the man chuckled. “That’s not possible for our kind anyway.”

“Your kind?” Hisashi echoed, growing confused again.

"You know, those like Acchan and me," the man said.

"So... like, gods and all?"

“No, not exactly. Well, they're the strongest ones way up there,” the man raised a hand up high. “Those you humans worship as gods and then there are the weakest of them all, regular plants and insects and whatnot,” he continued, brushing his hand over the grass. “And we’re in that range somewhere in between,” the man finished.

“So… where do humans stand?” Hisashi asked.

The man kept his hand hovering over the grass and stared at Hisashi.

Hisashi raised a sceptical eyebrow in return. Was that it? “You’re kidding, right?”

“Hey, there’s  _ a lot _ to fit in this small span of a range,” the man justified.

“Then, where do  _ you  _ stand?”

“Maybe… somewhere in the upper range-”

“Oh, come on,” Hisashi scoffed, disbelieving. “You’re just fucking with me, aren’t you?”

“Hey! You can’t shapeshift, can you?”

Hisashi grumbled. The man  _ was _ right but he didn’t like it. "Why are you here anyway?" he snapped.

"Acchan was curious," the man shrugged.

"About?"

"The guests you hosted a couple of days ago."

Hisashi blinked, surprised. Was Atsushi watching him? "What does he want to know about my guests?" he asked.

"Who they were, and why they visited. Things like that," the man said, waving his hand around casually.

"What's it to him?" Hisashi questioned.

"I dunno," the man shrugged again.

"Did he ask you to find out or what?" Hisashi asked, puzzled by the man's nonchalant attitude. He didn't seem interested in whatever he was asking about.

"Nope," the man replied.

"Huh?" Hisashi frowned. "Then, why would you come-"

"Because Acchan seemed exceptionally bothered by it," the man cut in. “He kept stomping around and muttering to himself.”

“Atsushi was?” Hisashi blurted. After how Atsushi left the last time, he didn’t expect him to care at all. “I thought… I thought he said he’s had enough?”

The man made a noise and shrugged. “If you ask me, I’d say he’s a fickle one,” he remarked. “And from what I’ve heard from him, you’re fickle too.”

“I’m not fickle,” Hisashi huffed indignantly.

“That’s what Acchan said too,” the man chuckled.

"How’s that funny?" Hisashi glared.

"Ah, no, well," the man's chuckle grew into a proper laugh. Hisashi continued glaring at him until the laughing fit eventually subsided and the man said, "Anyway. Are you going to free me from the discomfort having a disgruntled Acchan around or not?"

"Let Atsushi be disgruntled," Hisashi retorted. "If he's that curious, he can ask me himself."

"Oh, come on, you know he won't. He's too stubborn for that," the man huffed, folding his arms. "But, maybe… if you drop him a little hint but leave out the juicy details…" he said with a suggestive look at Hisashi.

"I don't know what's 'juicy' about my sister tagging along with my brother to visit," Hisashi said flatly. "It's going to be a regular thing so-"

"No, it's not your siblings Acchan's bothered with. He knows who they are," the man interrupted with a wave of his hand. "It's that other person who came with them."

"Oh!" Hisashi realised. "Honma?"

"I don't know his name," the man shrugged.

“Well, I’m telling you it’s Honma,” Hisashi emphasised. “Is that juicy enough a piece of information for you?”

“Maay… be?” The man squinted his eyes as he looked to the sky. “What’s your relationship with him?”

“He’s a good friend of mine from the city,” Hisashi answered. “He’s staying with me while he’s here to-”

“Ah, don’t tell me that,” the man interrupted with a hand held up. “We’ll let Acchan find out about that himself,” he said with a smirk.

“You sure he’d be curious enough to ask?” Hisashi questioned, sceptical of the man’s plan.

“Well, that Honma’s living with you now, isn’t he?” the man pointed out. “That’ll get Acchan upset enough.”

“… Why would Atsushi be upset?”

That question earned Hisashi a blank stare from the man. “Because… that will make it difficult for him to get you alone?” he replied as if the answer was obvious.

“What?” Hisashi muttered in confusion. Was Atsushi’s goal to isolate him?

Before Hisashi could ask about it, he heard a huff that sounded like a grumble coming from behind him. “Huh. You really spoke to him, huh? Yutaka,” a voice mumbled.

The petite man, supposedly Yutaka, looked past Hisashi and his face lit up. “Hidehiko!” he greeted enthusiastically. “You’re here!”

“We should go back. Your older brother’s looking for you,” Hidehiko said as Hisashi turned around to look at him. Without a doubt, his person was taller and bigger than Yutaka, and he had thick, messy hair instead of Yutaka’s smooth, straight locks. Furthermore, to his surprise, Hidehiko was fully clad in unmistakable karuta armour unlike Yutaka, who was dressed in a normal kimono.

“Alright,” Yutaka said as he stood up and dusted his clothes. “You know, I think Hisashi might like you more than Acchan,” he commented.

“Huh?” Hisashi blurted. Hidehiko, too, looked equally bewildered by Yutaka’s words.

“Acchan did say that Hisashi preferred dogs,” Yutaka said, as if reminding Hidehiko.

“But I’m not a dog,” Hidehiko muttered.

“I’m pretty sure being an inugami qualifies you for the dog category,” Yutaka said, walking past Hisashi to go towards Hidehiko.

“Then, what about you?” Hidehiko returned, walking away alongside Yutaka. “You’re technically a raccoon  _ dog _ .”

“But aside from that, I’m in no way related to dogs,” Yutaka argued back.

The two men seemed to have forgotten about Hisashi as they continued their banter. Casting his gaze back to the sky, Hisashi sighed. How odd that he kept attracting such strange characters. He cast a glance backwards again, expecting to see the silhouette of the two men in the distance, but instead, he saw a large, dark-furred dog walking into the forest with a tanuki curled up on its back.

Hisashi let out a soft grunt of surprise. Were those the two men’s actual forms? He blinked. They disappeared. He blinked again. The forest was all he saw. He was alone once more. Hisashi pressed his lips thin and hummed to himself with concern. Considering all the spirits or non-humans he had been in contact with… perhaps taking a break to visit the temple tomorrow would be a wise choice.


	11. 11

The heat of the afternoon sun immediately dissipated when Hisashi stepped past the first torii gate and into the canopy of the ginkgo trees which lined the stone-paved path towards the temple. The cool shade of the trees was a wonderful respite from the late summer heat as he went up the gentle incline and climbed the occasional stair, passing more torii gates, stone lanterns, and the kitsune statues guarding the entrance to the temple.

It was quiet here. That was to be expected. The temple rarely had visitors unless it was festival season. Hisashi remembered those occasions fondly. Stalls selling candied treats and finger food or offering games and prizes would line the way in and he would get to stay up past his usual bedtime. He wondered if it was still the same after all these years.

Stepping through the final and largest of all the torii gates, Hisashi finally arrived at the temple's grounds. He took a quick glance around and saw no one. Hisashi pressed his lips thin. Maybe he should pray a bit first.

Following the stone path to the main building, Hisashi went up the short flight of stairs and stood in front of the offering box. From that spot, he peered into the darkened hall and saw the ancient Kannon statue that this temple was dedicated to. It still looked the same as it did in his memory.

Nodding to himself, Hisashi tossed a coin into the offering box and put his hands together, eyes closed. He intended to pray but instead, he found his mind going blank. He didn't know what to ask for. No, well, he  _ did _ have things to ask for but the words weren't coming.

Hisashi frowned and opened his eyes. He let out a sigh of resignation as he backed away and descended the stairs. Maybe the words will come to him when he gets to the adjacent shrine.

Strolling, Hisashi was crossing the well-maintained space to head towards the shrine when he spotted bright red fur by the cedar trees lining the grounds. The shock of colour against the muted browns and greens of the forest gave him pause. Instinctively reacting, his eyes darted towards it and he found them focusing on a fox. He expected it to run away the moment he met its eyes, but instead, it just sat there, still as one of those kitsune statues, staring.

Hisashi stared back, his brows furrowed. After meeting Yutaka and Hidehiko yesterday, he knew to expect by now that when animals watched him, they weren't  _ just _ animals. So what did this one want?

Considering that it was a fox, it was probably a kitsune. Maybe a guardian of these sacred grounds. But if it was… Why did it feel vaguely hostile? Unless it was something else?

Just as Hisashi started wondering if he should stay or go, the fox turned to its left, tail twitching as it looked at something behind a building. Curious, Hisashi craned his neck and tried to see what caught the fox's attention but within moments, the fox stood up and trotted away in that direction.

Intrigue fueling him, Hisashi took brisk strides towards where the fox sat and looked around the building, hoping to satisfy his curiosity. Instead, what he found was… nothing.  The fox had disappeared.

Hisashi sighed to himself as he returned to the main path. Perhaps he should have expected this. Animals did have a strange tendency to disappear without a trace.

Sandals crunching on the gravel, Hisashi went through a small path between the trees and crossed over from the temple's space into the shrine. He first went to the purification fountain and washed his hands and rinsed his mouth with the fresh, cool water. Once done, he replaced the bamboo ladle by the edge of the fountain and shook his hands dry.

Looking around, Hisashi casually proceeded to the shrine and glanced up at the bell over the offering box. He still hasn't seen anyone but ringing the bell should alert the resident priest or a warden that he was out here.

Now, Hisashi stood in front of the offering box of the shrine and tossed a coin in. He then bowed, clapped his hands twice, and bowed again before putting his hands together in prayer. This time, he decided that he would ask for the usual good health and hope for things to go smoothly during his stay here.

But instead of all those things coming to mind when Hisashi closed his eyes, Atsushi’s face appeared. He frowned. What did Atsushi have to do with anything? Granted, he originally came here to ask about Atsushi, but this wasn’t the time for it.

Hisashi mentally shoved the image of Atsushi aside, but try as he might, Atsushi wasn’t leaving his mind. Letting out a heavy exhale, he dropped his arms and once again, gave up. He looked listlessly into the dim interior of the shrine. Perhaps his mind just wasn't in the right place for this. But regardless of whether he did successfully pray or not, he should still sound the bell to complete the ritual.

Wrapping his hand around the thick cord which hung from the bell above-head, Hisashi pulled it towards him and shook the rope, sending the hollow yet melodious sound echoing throughout the grounds. It felt as if the serenity of this place was enhanced by the sound of the large Suzu bell, as if clearing the air.

Soon enough, the unmistakable scrape of geta on the worn stone pavement reached Hisashi's ears. Turning around, he came face to face with a shrine maiden looking at him from the foot of the shrine's steps. Her red and white robes stood out like a beacon in this environment. At first glance, there was nothing odd about her but after a moment, Hisashi started getting a peculiar feeling that he couldn't quite place. He brushed that aside. He must be overthinking things. Whatever it was, she was someone to ask about his predicament.

Eyes wandering to take in her large eyes and braided, jet black hair, Hisashi descended the steps and muttered, "Um…"

Almost immediately, she gave him a curt but quiet, "Yes?"

"Um, well, I was wondering…" Hisashi paused. He hadn't thought of how he would present his problem. "Uh…" Judging by how the shrine maiden was staring at him, he should probably get to the point. "There's this… cat youkai…"

"A nekomata? Or a bakeneko?" the shrine maiden asked.

"Um… Maybe…?" Even as he said that, Hisashi frowned and scratched his head. Weren't those supposed to be malicious in nature? Atsushi didn't come across as malicious.

"I don't sense anything evil latching onto you," the shrine maiden responded.

"Ah, really?" Hisashi was right then. Atsushi didn't mean harm. Just then, another question came to mind. Was the shrine maiden's answer because Atsushi left him?

The shrine maiden then asked, "Did you see it?"

"Yes," Hisashi answered.

"Did you interact with it?"

"… Yes," Hisashi replied with a little more hesitance. She was probably going to say that he shouldn't have.

"You shouldn't interact with anything otherworldly." There it was.

"Uh… yeah…"

"It can't be a nekomata or bakeneko then," the shrine maiden concluded. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to step in here so casually."

"Huh, really?"

"It wouldn't have let you," the shrine maiden explained simply.

"Ah, a visitor?" A spry voice came from behind Hisashi.

Slightly startled by the contrasting lively tone, Hisashi snapped his head around to find a cheery-looking middle-aged man who, judging by his clothes, appeared to be the priest. He thought that he would at least have some recollection of the priest but he didn’t recognise this person. Then again, he didn’t recognise the shrine maiden either. He had always assumed that someone from the town would take up these roles, but apparently he was wrong.

“I should probably introduce myself first,” the priest smiled. “I’ve only recently taken up residence here as the local priest since my predecessor passed away last year. You can call me Takahashi,” he said with a bow.

Bowing back, Hisashi awkwardly introduced himself too with a mumbled of, “Imai Hisashi.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard of you,” Takahashi beamed. “You were the talk of the town last week. You and your return.”

“Oh.” Hisashi didn’t know what to say. To think that he had become such popular gossip material.

“So, what brings you here today?” Takahashi asked.

"Well, I was just talking to the shrine maiden-"

"Shrine maiden?" Takahashi interrupted as his smile disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion. "We don't have any shrine maidens here."

"Huh?" Hisashi jabbed a thumb behind him and as he turned, he said, "She's right… Huh?"

The shrine maiden had disappeared.

Hisashi looked at the priest and then back at the spot where the shrine maiden stood. "I was just talking to her…"

"Aside from a couple of other groundskeepers, I'm the only one living here. We don't have shrine maidens here," the priest repeated, observing Hisashi with his brows furrowed with concern. "Are you alright, young man?" he asked.

Hisashi brought a hand to his forehead as his eyes searched the grounds. He could have sworn the shrine maiden was right there. She couldn't have disappeared so quickly without making a sound. But if the priest said that there wasn't anyone else aside from himself and those he mentioned, who had Hisashi been talking to?

Suddenly, Hisashi caught a flash of red along the nearby treeline. It was a fox. Again, it was looking at him. Was it the same one that he saw earlier? Could it be…? His eyes still fixed on the fox, Hisashi blurted, “You have foxes around here?”

“Well, yes,” Takahashi said as he followed Hisashi’s line of sight. “We believe them to be divine messengers so their presence is appreciated.”

“I just… don’t remember seeing foxes around here back when I was a child,” Hisashi mumbled, watching the fox yawn and trot off as if bored.

“Hm, I wouldn’t know what things were like back then, but indeed, you don’t often see these creatures out in the open like this,” Takahashi nodded in agreement. “Well, at least, I definitely didn’t, growing up in the capital.”

Hisashi cast him a glance. Another city dweller? “Say,” Hisashi began. “I was wondering about cat youkai…”

“Youkai?” echoed the priest.

“There’s a cat that had been hanging around my home and I was wondering if-”

“You don’t actually believe in such superstition, do you?” Takahashi interrupted.

“Uh…” Hisashi held his tongue. Superstition? Knowing what he had seen, felt, and experienced, Hisashi knew that this was definitely not mere superstition. But if this was how the priest reacted, it didn’t sound like he was going to give Hisashi any useful answers. “I just thought it was odd,” Hisashi eventually muttered.

“There might be something at your home which attracts it,” Takahashi reasoned. “Or perhaps it had taken up residence somewhere nearby while your house was unoccupied.”

“Mm, yeah, probably,” Hisashi reluctantly agreed, feeling slightly disappointed that he had met with a dead-end here.

But that shrine maiden… She said she didn't sense anything wrong with him, right? Though, considering that the priest said there were no shrine maidens here, should Hisashi really trust what she said? 

"Maybe I've been overthinking things," Hisashi mumbled, turning to walk back to the temple. He decided that there was no point in consulting Takahashi if disbelief was his stance.

As expected, priest Takahashi chuckled and said, “Coming from the city, I don’t blame you for letting your imagination go wild. It can be a little too mundane for the mind here.”

“Hm, I guess,” Hisashi responded absentmindedly as the priest walked alongside him.

“But if you ever find the need for some stimulation, feel free to visit our library,” Takahashi offered, crossing the path back behind Hisashi. “There’s quite a significant collection of scriptures and references here which might interest you.”

“The library?” Hisashi raised his eyebrows. Now,  _ that _ might help.

“It’s right around the back of the main hall,” Takahashi said, pointing past the building which housed the statue of Kanon. “I leave it open to visitors in the daytime, but I’ll lock it up once the sun sets.”

“Hm,” Hisashi hummed. “I guess I’ll have a look some other day,” he said, stopping in front of the towering torii gate. They have returned to the entrance. “I don’t think I have enough time before you close up to peruse anything today,” Hisashi added with a glance towards the sky.

“Of course. You can come by any day,” Takahashi nodded with a smile. “It’ll be open.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” Hisashi bowed. “I’ll be on my way then,” he said, stepping away towards his descent. “Thank you again for your time.”

“And thank you for visiting,” Takahashi bowed back. “See you again, and take care.”

“Likewise,” Hisashi responded, bowing once more before finally leaving the temple.

Following the same way down, Hisashi immediately began thinking about what happened just now; about the priest and his words, and, of course, the not-shrine maiden as well.

It was surprising to him that the priest didn’t seem to believe in youkai and the like. But perhaps that was a sign of the times changing. That, and the fact that he came from the capital like Hayashi and himself. Even Honma came to join him here, even if temporarily and from what Hisashi had seen in town, they weren’t the only ones either. He thought that the town’s population would be growing smaller, that most would choose to move out and stay nearer to the capital, but looking at how things were, it didn’t seem to be the case.

That aside, Hisashi had begun to wonder if the supposed shrine maiden he met was, in fact, one of those youkai in her own right. Atsushi, Yutaka, and Hidehiko could all shapeshift. So, could it be that he had come face to face with yet another sort of youkai? On the other hand, if she was one, did she have an animal form?

Or… What about that fox Hisashi had been catching glimpses of around the temple? Its red fur… Her red hakama? Hisashi paused in his tracks. Did he actually just meet a kitsune?

Out of the corner of his eye, Hisashi caught a flash of red in the green of the forest and his head snapped towards it. A good distance away was a red fox on the forest floor, waving its bushy tail in the air as it nuzzled against a… particularly familiar-looking, rosette sand-coloured furred cat.

Staring at the sight before him, Hisashi’s mind reeled with even more questions. Was that really Atsushi? Who was that fox? Were they acquainted? Or rather, how well-acquainted are they? Why were they being so affectionate with each other?

Perplexed, Hisashi took a step towards the two, hoping to get a closer look, but the moment he blinked, they disappeared.

Further taken aback, he spun around on the spot, eyes scanning the forest around him for any sight of the fox’s red fur. Trying to look for Atsushi might be too much of a challenge since he would likely blend into the forest, but that bright red would easily stand out. Logical as it sounded, Hisashi was, however, unable to catch sight of the fox again it was truly gone.

Stunned still, Hisashi stood in the middle of the path and stared into the distance. He began to wonder if he really did see Atsushi just then. Was it real? Or was it just his imagination? Or was it a trick played on him by a kitsune, if it really existed?

Covering his face in a hand, Hisashi sighed. He had hoped to solve his problems by coming here, but instead, it looks like he had only found more.


	12. 12

“I think the priest is right,” Honma said as he took a long drink.

“What?” Hisashi slurred, lifting his head from the table. He had intended to go home after his visit to the temple this afternoon, but he bumped into Honma on the way back and got dragged to Matsumoto’s izakaya.

Although Honma was supposed to be staying with Hisashi, Aunty said that he didn’t come back last night. Hisashi thought that this might be a good chance to find out what happened from Honma before he disappeared again. Instead, Hisashi found himself drunk-telling Honma about his predicament at the temple while getting inundated by alcohol. It had been too long since the last time he drank like this.

“I said, I think the priest is right,” Honma repeated, slamming his empty cup down and leaning forward. “Your city-accustomed mind must be bored silly by your time out here in the sticks.”

“Tch,” Hisashi clicked his tongue and sat up. He was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol fade. He knew that it was only temporary, though. “I’m telling you that’s what’s happened,” Hisashi insisted as he sipped his freshly filled cup. It felt as if it was never empty. “I swear I spoke to a shrine maiden-”

“Were you daydreaming? Did your head conjure up a pretty lady for you to talk to?” Honma teased. “Have you opened your eyes and noticed that there’s no shortage of pretty ladies in this town?”

“Is that what  _ you’ve _ been up to? Have you been scouring the town for ladies to pick up?” Hisashi returned.

Honma gave him a weird laugh.

“I’m warning you, it’s a small community here,” Hisashi said. “One wrong move and the whole town will know your name.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Honma muttered, waving his hand dismissively. “Matsumoto said the same thing, anyway.”

“Aunty said you didn’t come back last night,” Hisashi raised, side-eyeing Honma as he sipped again.

“What?” Honma blurted.

“Where’d you stay?”

“Uh… I guess I… passed out on the street or something…”

“Who’d you hook up with?” Hisashi surmised, smirking inwardly at Honma’s flustering.

“Gah! You aren’t even half as interested when we’re in the capital, so what’s with all this questioning now?” Honma grumbled as he took another long drink. “You really must be too bored with life here.”

“I really did speak to a shrine maiden!” Hisashi insisted.

“You sure you’re not smoking something weird in that kiseru of yours?” Honma asked.

“It’s just tobacco leaves,” Hisashi huffed.

“No ‘herb’ you found?” Honma smirked.

“Oh, please,” Hisashi rolled his eyes. “This isn’t the climate nor the location for such a thing to grow naturally,” he added in a low voice.

“Didn’t bring any with you?” Honma wriggled his eyebrows.

Hisashi glared at him.

Honma held up his hands and leaned away at his reaction. "I'm just kidding, you know?"

Hisashi grunted as he downed the rest of his glass. "We done here?" he asked, reaching towards the bottle on their table to shake it. It was empty.

"Yeah, I think I need an early night after… Yeah," Honma's voice trailed away as he tried and failed to suppress a grimace.

Hisashi chose to pretend he didn't see that. Let Honma grapple with the consequences of whatever he did himself. Hisashi wanted no part in it.

Pushing himself up, Hisashi almost toppled over some of the bottles in his haste, or rather, in his drunkenness. A pair of hands grabbed his arm to steady him. "You alright there?" Matsumoto's distant-sounding voice asked. When did he appear?

"Yea," Hisashi answered curtly as he made eye contact with Matsumoto who was right next to him now. Staring intently at the izakaya's exit, he forced himself to stand upright and eased his arm out of Matsumoto's grasp.

"Make sure you take him home proper before you go out cavorting again," Matsumoto said, supposedly addressing Honma.

"Make sure you take care of the tab too," Hisashi added.

"What? Me?!" Honma exclaimed, part stumbling himself as he stood up.

"Remember I'm here on a budget, Honma," Hisashi reminded.

" _ You're _ the heavy drinker, aren't you? I think you drank at least two-thirds of whatever's on the table," Matsumoto pointed out.

"Hey, hey, don't let this guy fool you," Honma said, pointing a finger at Hisashi. "This guy drinks way more than me-"

Hisashi leaned forward, letting himself fall far enough before he had to take a step to stop himself from hitting the ground.

Matsumoto, as expected, grabbed onto him and said, "Oh, come on. Look at him. He's barely standing right."

Head hanging low, Hisashi made eye contact with Honma by the corner of his eyes and smirked.

Realising what Hisashi was playing at, Honma puffed up with indignation. “You-!”

Hisashi dropped his weight against Matsumoto in response. With a groan, Matsumoto huffed and pushed Hisashi towards Honma, “Gah, take him home. We’ll settle the tab another time. I don’t want him hurling up all over my floor.”

Honma began to protest. “But-”

Hisashi made a noise that resembled vomiting.

“No but’s!” Matsumoto immediately shoved them out the door. “Out, out! No puking in here!”

Almost falling over each other, Honma and Hisashi found themselves outside the izakaya in a matter of seconds.

"Remember to come back and pay," Matsumoto added as Hisashi clutched Honma and shifted his weight.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see your face tomorrow anyway," Honma said with a wave of his hand and a tug on Hisashi. "C'mon, pull yourself together for goodness' sake."

"Make sure you take him home," Matsumoto repeated as Hisashi heard the scrape of his shoes on the sandy ground. "I'll see you tomorrow," he bade and his voice disappeared back into the izakaya.

Hisashi let Honma struggle with dragging him for a couple of steps before he got tired of it and righted his feet. "You guys meeting tomorrow?" he asked Honma without skipping a beat.

"Did you have to fake being drunk?" Honma huffed as he glared at Hisashi.

"Well, I actually did have a bit of trouble getting my feet to work, though," Hisashi shrugged with a lopsided smile. Setting off for home, he beckoned Honma to follow, "C'mon, let's go home."

"But I intended to stay out a little more," Honma complained.

“Shall I lie in a ditch then?” Hisashi asked.

“Huh?”

“I’ll let Matsumoto find me lying there in the morning-”

“Fine! Fine, I’ll go back with you,” Honma grumbled, throwing his hands in the air as he walked ahead of Hisashi. “Why are you so insistent on making me go home?” he questioned. “Can’t you go on your own?”

Catching up to Honma with a self-satisfied smile, Hisashi shrugged and said, “Can’t I ask for a little company? That’s what you said you were here for, right? To keep me company?”

Honma folded his arms and scoffed, “You took that seriously?”

Hisashi laughed, “I’m just saying-”

Kicking a bump in the road, Hisashi stopped mid-sentence as he tripped and almost face planted. The only thing that stopped him from falling was Honma catching him.

“Maybe Matsumoto was right to insist I take you home,” Honma muttered to himself as Hisashi gathered himself together.

“Doesn’t help that it’s dark as hell out here at this time of the night,” Hisashi gestured around him. Looking down, he tried to see what caused him to trip, but the floor didn’t seem to have anything jutting out of it. No rocks, no uneven pavement. Strange.

“Yeah,” Honma agreed. “It’s definitely much darker at night here in the countryside compared to the capital. It’s kind of creepy too, how quiet it gets.”

“Hn, tell me about it,” Hisashi muttered, suddenly reminded of that figure he saw by the temple’s entrance some nights ago. Would he see it again?

"And now there's a cat staring-"

"Cat?" Hisashi turned sharply. "Where?"

"I mean…" Honma lifted his eyes in surprise at Hisashi's reaction. "It's just sitting right there, by the stone lantern near the bridge," he said, pointing.

Hisashi snapped his head towards that direction but all he glimpsed was the dark shadow of a  tail tip flicking as the aforementioned cat disappeared under the bridge. In the dim light, he couldn't quite tell if it was Atsushi or not. Turning to Honma, he asked, "What did it look like?"

"Huh?"

"What colour was its fur? How big was it?" Hisashi interrogated.

"Whoa, whoa, relax," Honma said, a cautious look in his eyes. "It was just a regular-sized cat, I suppose? It's too dark to see what its fur looked like, though."

A regular-sized cat? It couldn't have been Atsushi then. Shoulders slumping, Hisashi pressed his lips thin and sighed.

"What? Are you looking for a cat or something?" Honma asked.

"Did I ever mention that there was a cat which followed me here from the capital?" Hisashi muttered, feeling slightly dejected.

“… Are you sure it’s the same cat?” Honma questioned with blatant scepticism.

“How many cats do you know that are this big?” Hisashi asked as he spread his palms open and held them a little wider than shoulder-width apart.

Honma stared at the space for a moment then asked, “Are you  _ sure  _ it’s a cat?”

“Yes, he  _ is _ a cat,” Hisashi sighed. "You can tell if you see him."

"So… You're looking for this cat."

"Yes," Hisashi nodded, reluctantly continuing on his way. There was no point standing around here if Atsushi wasn't around.

"Why?" Honma asked as they walked. "I thought you weren't all that fond of cats."

That was true. Hisashi furrowed his brow and folded his arms as he pondered. He knew there was an urge in him to find Atsushi and talk to him but if Atsushi really did put a clean break in their relations, there was no need for Hisashi to seek him out, was there? Yet even if there was no actual need, the desire to seek Atsushi out was still there.

“I guess…” Hisashi mumbled absentmindedly as he eventually came to a conclusion. “I guess I grew fond of him?”

Almost immediately, Hisashi felt a hard grab at his elbow and he turned to find Honma clasping his arm with his eyes wide open. Pointing ahead, Honma asked in a low voice, “Is- Is that thing your cat?”

Even though he was following Honma’s finger, it still took Hisashi a bit of time squinting in the darkness before he finally spotted what Honma was pointing at. Crouching just off the main pathway at the edge of the rice fields was a rather large, rotund shape. As Hisashi was staring, it moved and eyes briefly flashed in the darkness. Narrowing his eyes further, Hisashi took a step forward towards it, intending to get a closer look when Honma tugged him back.

“What are you doing!?” Honma hissed.

“Trying to find out if that  _ is _ my cat?” Hisashi hissed back.

“You can do that from here!” Honma stressed.

“I can’t see well enough from here,” Hisashi argued, tugging his arm free of Honma’s grasp to continue his advance.

Instead of walking forward like he intended to, Hisashi felt a sudden wave of lightheadedness come over him and knock the world onto its side. Eyes level with the ground, Hisashi blinked and tried to focus his vision. Or maybe  _ he _ was the one who got knocked onto his side.

“Good lord,” Honma blurted as he picked Hisashi up and put his arm around his shoulders. “Let’s just forget about that thing and go home, alright?” he said, dragging Hisashi. “You’re in no shape to investigate-”

Honma suddenly went still. His pause gave Hisashi time to gather himself together and ask, “What is it?”

“It’s coming,” Honma whispered.

Hisashi lifted his head and saw a large shadow approaching. The closer it came, the better he could see its shape and appearance, and the more certain Hisashi became that it was indeed Atsushi. Sliding his arm off Honma’s shoulders, he stumbled forward towards the cat only to find himself rolling on the ground again. Hisashi let out a frustrated grunt. He wasn’t all that drunk, was he?

Tucking his arms under him, Hisashi struggled to push himself up but he did manage to cast his eyes in the direction of the approaching being. The moment he did, though, he got a face full of fur.

“Acchan?” Hisashi managed to ask as a thick, fluffy tail curled around his face.

Instead of a vocal response, the tail flicked and brushed over Hisashi’s eyes while the cat stepped onto his back. 

“Hey,” Hisashi called softly, trying to turn around against the weight on his back.

It was difficult, but the weight eventually lifted and Hisashi could sit up. When he did, though, the cat had disappeared.

Confused, Hisashi stood up and spun around, looking for him. “Where’d he go?” he asked Honma.

“It slinked off the path and disappeared into the rice field, I think,” Honma replied quietly.

“He’s gone?” Hisashi asked as his eyes scanned the pitch-black fields.

“I guess so,” Honma muttered. “You're right though. That was one huge cat.”

Hisashi looked at Honma. “I told you he was big.”

“It kinda gave me the stink-eye or something, though,” Honma said with a worried frown.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s very friendly,” Hisashi dismissed despite suddenly remembering that yesterday, Yutaka said Atsushi seemed miffed by Honma’s presence. Honma didn’t need to know that.

“And…” Honma trailed before hesitantly continuing, “Am I imagining things or is there…”

“Is there what now?” Hisashi asked, confused by Honma’s sudden hesitance.

His eyes fixed on something past Hisashi, Honma asked, “Is there someone standing at the entrance to the temple?”

Hisashi felt a chill run down his spine as the memory of that yet unknown figure came to mind. Slowly, he turned to look over his shoulder. This time, he spotted what Honma was pointing at almost immediately. He couldn’t miss it. Not when it stood at the edge of where the light from the temple’s stone lanterns reached.  Hisashi could feel his blood rushing through his veins as his heart beat faster. Was that why the cat left? Because that figure was there?

“I see that too, Honma,” Hisashi managed to answer.

“Someone you know?” Honma asked hopefully.

“No,” Hisashi replied curtly. He wasn’t feeling too good about this. He didn’t even have Atsushi with him this time.

The figure moved.

“Hey, let’s go home,” Honma quickly said, grabbing Hisashi by the arm and pulling him down the path.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go,” Hisashi nodded, walking briskly as he averted his eyes and focused on the road home. Now he  _ really _ wanted to seek Atsushi out and talk to him.


	13. 13

After Honma returned to the capital, the days seemed to bleed into each other and before Hisashi knew it, another week had passed without him catching a single glimpse of Atsushi. He thought that after that night, Atsushi would at least come back to the house and visit, but alas, Atsushi was, once again, nowhere to be found.

Hisashi sucked in a breath through his kiseru and sighed, watching the white wisps coiling in the late morning sun as he rested his feet. He had begun to bring his kiseru with him on his treks. In recent days, he found that he barely had time to properly enjoy his kiseru at the end of the day and more often than not, he ended up falling asleep with it in his hand. So why not bring it up here too since he spent so much time in the mountains and was getting fidgety during his breaks anyway?

As his eyes shifted to look at the growing cloud cover overhead, Hisashi sighed again. Clouds had been gathering since yesterday and from the look of things, it might start raining sooner or later. He just hoped that it would be after he reached home.

Hisashi took one last puff as the tobacco ran out. Tilting the kiseru, he let the remaining ashes fall from the bowl and into the stream next to him before pulling out a piece of washi from a side compartment in his bag to clean the kiseru with. Once done, he put them both away and continued with his foraging, kiseru swaying by his side.

Throughout the past few weeks, Hisashi had been steadily making his way higher and higher up the mountain in search of kudzu. He had some luck finding isolated patches here and there, but he had picked and cleared those now, cutting them back quite a bit to prevent them from overgrowing. He still needed more, though. It seemed like the root flower was insanely popular in China. And thus, Hisashi treks for longer and longer periods of time with each passing day before he finds a promising patch to pick. 

A distant rumble made Hisashi look to the sky with concern. It wasn't already going to rain, was it? He didn't like the idea of going home without at least locating a patch to come back to tomorrow. Leaving when he found nothing would mean that he wasted all this time and energy spent getting up here.

That said, the higher Hisashi went, the less familiar he became with his surroundings. After all, his parents only ever let him wander around the lower half of the mountain on his own as a child. Though his tiny legs couldn't really take him that far up in less than half a day at the time anyway.

As Hisashi walked, he could feel the wind picking up. There was a hint of chill in the air too. This was bad. Maybe it really _was_ going to rain. But just as he started debating whether or not he should descend anyway, the chill disappeared and bright sunlight filtered through the trees again.

That made Hisashi pause. How was the weather turning so quickly? He wasn't all that high up the mountain, was he? Whatever the reason, he now had a bit of a dilemma. Should he trust the intensity of this sunlight or head home just to be safe?

Staring up at the sky through the leaves overhead, Hisashi pondered as his brisk pace slowed to a stroll. Despite the warm sunbeams, the constant breeze that blew past still held a notable chill. The environment was sending him conflicting messages. He couldn’t decide like this.

Hisashi sighed to himself, wishing that there was someone around who could read the weather for him. Where were all the yokais or spirits or whatnots who came and went as they pleased? How convenient of them to not show up now, when he needed some sort of supernatural weather forecasting to aid him if it was even possible.

While Hisashi’s internal debate raged on, his feet continued moving and eventually, they brought him to a cliffside clearing. Stopping, he admired the scenery sprawled out before him; at the calm, meandering river, at the small but undoubtedly bustling town, at the temple sitting in one corner just outside the town centre, and at the bamboo forest at the far side which led down the hill the town resided on and away. All of it seemed bigger than Hisashi expected, yet at the same time, so small from this vantage point. What would the capital look like from such a height? Hisashi could barely imagine it, but he was sure that it would dwarf his hometown.

Admiring the sight with the rustling leaves and chirping birds in the background was nice. It was so peaceful and quiet here that Hisashi forgot his dilemma until he heard another low rumble of distant thunder. His eyes glanced up at the sky as worry built in his chest. Being out here in the open meant that he could get struck by lightning if the storm was near.

However, despite what Hisashi heard and felt, the sky was still blue. Although he could smell the sweet scent of rain, there were no storm clouds in sight. At least, not until he turned around. Right behind him was a mass of dark grey clouds, swirling in the wind far up above him as they came from the other side of the mountain. And they were coming in fast.

Well, that decided it. Hisashi wasn't going to stay or go any further with those ominous-looking clouds up above. He didn't care whether or not he wasted his time. If it started raining now, it was going to be one heck of a thunderstorm. He had no intention of getting caught in that. He was going back.

The moment Hisashi made a u-turn, he was buffeted by an unexpectedly strong gust of wind which caught him by surprise, almost toppling him over. He struggled against it for a bit, crouching over and fighting to keep his feet planted to the ground, but it was impossible to move like this. This posed a problem. He can't get off the mountain if he can't move. But he had to. It was only going to get worse once the rain started falling.

As if on cue, Hisashi felt a big, wet spot hit the back of his neck. He cursed internally. Stuck on that cliffside, Hisashi had nowhere to hide as more and more raindrops pelted down on him with a gradually increasing frequency as the storm began to bring build. Then, there was a break in the wind. The howling gales that made Hisashi feel too unstable on his feet to move had suddenly let up. All that was left was the thick air, heavy with humidity and unrelenting downpour drenching Hisashi to the bone.

Sensing his chance to get away from the perilous open space, Hisashi bolted away from the clearing and towards the trees, almost slipping a couple of times as he went. He was going to try and find some sort of shelter for the time being and wait out the rain. As much as he would like to descend now, he would only mean risk slipping and hurting himself.

Hisashi almost reached the treeline when he started to feel the air around him crackle. Before he had any time to react, lightning struck with a blinding flash and a deafening crack. Stunned by it and with the ground buzzing under his feet, Hisashi fell backwards onto the floor.

Despite the rain, Hisashi smelt smoke and, unfortunately, a fire. The lightning must have kindled a flame with the dead leaves that were not yet wet under the top layer. He couldn't tell which whether the rain was going to douse the flames out first, or if the wind was going to grow the fire further but there was no way he was going to get through that soon enough. Not with the wind picking up again and fanning the flames against the downpour.

Even worse, the wind direction had changed. While it previously blew along the mountainside, it now blew diagonally as if somehow pushing Hisashi towards the edge of the cliff. And this time, Hisashi was not ready to brace himself against it.

Like one of the numerous helpless leaves dancing around in the wind, Hisashi was swept off his feet and shoved in the one direction he never wanted to go. He barely had time to grab onto something before he realised his feet could no longer reach the ground. Helplessly, he dropped. His stomach lurched. He screamed. And everything went black.


	14. 14

A constant, calming rumble was the first thing Hisashi sensed. He could feel it vibrating throughout his body as he began to stir. Turning slowly, he felt warm, comfortably warm in this soft bed.

Hisashi tried to sit up, but, for some reason, his body wasn't quite responding the way he wanted it to. In fact, he barely even moved an inch. A hint of frustration furrowed his brow. What's going on?

Scrunching up his face, Hisashi tried again with more effort. Still, he did not budge. He let out a grunt of exasperation and rolled over, burying his face in the soft fur under him. At least he could do this.

As annoyed as Hisashi was with his immobility, the soft rumbling and the warmth allayed his vexation. It was so soothing that he could feel the weight of sleep coming over him, weighing him down as he quickly lost consciousness again.

The next time Hisashi woke, it was quiet, save for the muffled pitter-patter of rain. That nice, pleasant sensation had disappeared along with the rumbling and he was no longer lying on a soft surface. Well, this bed wasn't uncomfortable to lie in but it was nowhere near as comfortable as the one he last remembered.

Hisashi rolled onto his back with a grunt. He could move much more easily now but when he tried to sit up, a sharp jolt of pain shot through his back. Hisashi let out a yelp. What was that? The last time, it just required too much effort to move, but this time, it was nigh impossible with the pain.

“You’re awake!” A familiar voice burst out as footsteps drew closer.

Turning, Hisashi saw Yutaka running towards him. While the petite man approached, Hisashi cast his half-lidded eyes around, taking in his surroundings. It was an enclosed space that had no windows nor exits, save for the one opening covered by hanging vines that Yutaka entered through. Without any other source of natural light, the area near him was lit by small lights scattered around. Were they candles? He couldn’t see properly. But more important than wondering about what those lights really were, Hisashi had to wonder, where was he?

“Goodness!” Yutaka exhaled, carefully rolling Hisashi back onto his back. “You shouldn’t even be trying to move!”

“Where… is this?” Hisashi asked breathlessly. He was still winded from the pain.

“Acchan recently took up residence here so you could say we’re in his dwelling,” Yutaka replied.

“Acchan?” Hisashi whispered. Is this where Atsushi had been hiding?

“Yeah,” Yutaka nodded.

“Where is he?”

“Resting,” Yutaka answered, quickly putting a fur blanket over Hisashi. “You’ve taken quite a lot out of him.”

“… Me?”

“Yeah,” Yutaka affirmed with another nod. "Considering the height you fell from-"

"What height?" Hisashi cut in, confused.

"Oh, no, don't tell me we need to fix your head too," Yutaka huffed as if it was just a mere annoyance. "Don't you remember?" he asked. "Big storm, falling off the mountain, dropping down onto my brother?"

"Your… brother?"

"Oh, man, speaking of him, I probably shouldn't let him know you're awake," Yutaka said to himself with a wary glance at the exit. "He was  _ livid _ with you. Do you know how hard you came down on him? Then again, Acchan was probably glad you did. Might've just snapped your neck too if my brother wasn't there to cushion your fall."

The memory of the gathering clouds, the lightning strike, and the howling winds came rushing back. Hisashi's eyes grew large as realisation dawned on him. Falling from that height… How was he still alive? "I should be dead," he mumbled.

"Damn right," Yutaka chuckled. "I guess we managed to pull you back from the brink because Anii made  _ such, a huge, fuss _ that we went to investigate what on earth was his problem. But, of course, it's taken a lot out of Acchan. I don't think any of us would have even bothered with going through the trouble, to be honest."

"When was that?" Hisashi asked, head swimming as he tried to grasp the situation. This was too much to swallow. Did he die? Or didn't he?

"What?"

"When did I fall?"

"Uh… I think it was two days ago now-"

"What?!"

"Shh! Sh!" Yutaka hurriedly shushed Hisashi. "Anii would tear you apart if he knew you're awake now!"

"Two days?!" Hisashi repeated. He would be declared missing by Aunty now, or maybe even declared dead if they can't find him soon enough.

"Hey, Acchan's not done with you yet but it takes a lot to fix a broken back, you know?" Yutaka said, folding his arms.

"A broken back?!" Hisashi echoed, increasingly alarmed. Is that where that unbearable pain came from? Did this mean he couldn't walk? Panic welled up in his chest. How was he going to go back to regular life if he couldn't walk?

"Don't you worry about that," Yutaka beamed as he patted Hisashi on the head. "Acchan'll take care of it-" Upon hearing the sound of footsteps scraping outside, Yutaka paused mid-sentence and snapped his head towards the exit.

A gruff-sounding voice asked, "Is he awake?!"

"You… better go to sleep," Yutaka muttered quickly and covered Hisashi's eyes with a hand.

"Wait, wait!" Hisashi protested to no avail. The next thing he knew, all sensation disappeared and he was, once again, asleep.


	15. 15

The lilting chirping of birds was what woke Hisashi this time. He was lying in a soft bed once more, covered by an equally soft blanket. He knew this wasn't his own bed back home. It was a million times too comfortable for this to be a simple futon on the hardwood floor.

Then, it moved.

Hisashi jolted upright in surprise as his 'bed' seemed to roll and shift under him while his 'blanket' curled around his face. Well, one part of it, at least. He could still feel the rest of it covering his legs. Rumbling started under Hisashi again as he shoved the 'blanket' of his face and twisted around in alarm. What on earth was he lying on?

In the dim light, Hisashi saw dark rosette patches under him on the pale gold fur which cushioned him. He stared at the pattern. He had seen this before on one other being; Atsushi. Why would there be fur of his coat here?

The rumbling grew louder as Hisashi felt something large nudge him from behind, pushing him over to faceplant into the fur. Hisashi let out a startled yelp and tried to push himself back up but whatever it was that nudged him continued to pin him down with its incessant rubbing against him. Thankfully, it didn't last forever. When Hisashi felt the weight lift from his back, he immediately sat up and turned, only to freeze when he came face to face with an enormous set of golden cat eyes staring at him.

Bewildered, Hisashi felt his heart stop. He had never seen eyes so large before and he didn't know what to do or how to react. If the eyes alone are this big, how immense would the creature be? He simply couldn't comprehend the size of it.

The eyes blinked at him slowly. Still frozen, Hisashi blinked back. The rumbling started under him again as the giant cat's head came towards Hisashi and started rubbing against him again. It was only then that Hisashi realised the rumbling was actually  _ purring _ . But a cat wouldn't purr for him unless… "Atsushi?"

The purring intensified as he heard a soft meow-like sound in the back of the humongous cat's throat. That sounded like an affirmation.

Rubbing Atsushi's face back with his hands, Hisashi mumbled, "Good god, why are you so big?"

"That's because he's exhausted," a monotone voice droned from below.

Both Hisashi and Atsushi turned. Leaning forward, Hisashi peered down and saw Hidehiko standing near a large paw with his hands on his hips.

"He's too tired to keep it together," Hidehiko continued.

"Too tired?" Hisashi echoed, absentmindedly rubbing the warm fur under him as he furrowed his eyebrows with concern.

"It's not easy to fix you up, you know?" Hidehiko sighed. Shaking his head, he looked at Atsushi and added, "I don't know why you even bother."

A low, disgruntled "mm" came from Atsushi as he lifted his paw and lazily dropped it on Hidehiko who quickly sidestepped to avoid getting squashed. Upon missing Hidehiko, Atsushi swiped his paw to the side, hitting Hidehiko from behind. As Hidehiko stumbled, Atsushi seemed to chuckle.

"Argh! I'm doing you a favour here, c'mon," Hidehiko grumbled as he dodged another playful swat. When Atsushi relented and tucked his paw away, Hidehiko muttered, "And that's the thanks I get for feeding you, huh."

"Feed him?" Hisashi inquired as he felt Atsushi's tail curling around his jaw. “Why do you have to feed him anyway? He can feed himself, can’t he…?”

“He can't go outside when he's this big, can he?” Hidehiko pointed out, gesturing around with a hand as Atsushi made another muffled noise. “If your people saw him, they would hunt him down,” he continued with a grimace. “Surely you don’t want that?”

“No way,” Hisashi immediately replied, holding Atsushi’s tail out of his face with a hand. Almost immediately, he felt another…  _ tail _ ? Confused, his eyes darted between Hidehiko and the fur he was wrapped in as he distractedly said, “But… why would they… come after Atsushi? It’s not as if he ever did anything.”

“Fear,” Hidehiko answered simply with a weary sigh. “Your people fear and attack anything they don’t understand."

Half listening to Hidehiko, Hisashi squinted his eyes but he couldn’t get a clear look in the dim light. “I’m pretty sure not all of them are like that,” he responded. “ _ I’m _ not like that.”

“I daresay you’re an outlier,” Hidehiko shrugged. Noticing Hisashi’s preoccupation, Hidehiko suddenly asked, “What are you looking for?”

“What’s all of this?” Hisashi asked, stretching an arm out and showing Hidehiko the fur.

“Acchan’s tails.”

“ _ Tails _ ?”

“Yeah?”

Hisashi stared blankly at Hidehiko. “There’s more than one?”

"He's not a regular cat, is he?" Hidehiko replied.

"Hm." Hisashi looked at the blanket of tails resting on his outstretched legs. It was still weird to think that he had been sleeping _ on _ a cat, rather than next to one, and now, this cat has more than one tail to boot… None of it quite made sense. Maybe that's why Atsushi's tail in his "regular" cat form was so fluffy. Was it also actually more than one tail?

Then, a thought struck Hisashi. Turning to Hidehiko again, he asked, "So, do you have more than one tail too?"

"No," Hidehiko furrowed his brow as if he just heard the most absurd thing.

"Why not? You're not a regular dog either, right?" Hisashi said, recalling the last time they met.

"I'm not a dog," Hidehiko scowled, folding his arms. "I'm a wolf."

Hisashi grunted, dropping the topic. He couldn't quite tell the difference but he wasn't going to push his luck with a being, much less a wolf one.

Atsushi made a noise, something that sounded like a "muh", as he started moving. Stretching out his paw again, he carefully nudged Hidehiko's shoulder and made the same "muh" noise. Then, the unmistakable sound of a stomach growling came from under Hisashi.

"Ah! Right," Hidehiko exclaimed, seemingly recalling something as he reached for the round, oblong bottle attached to his waist. Holding it in his hand, Hidehiko looked at Hisashi and said, “You might want to look away.”

"Why?" Hisashi questioned with a frown.

"You might get blinded," Hidehiko replied. His other hand was closed around the bottle's stopper now.

"By?"

"His food," Hidehiko said as the soft fur of Atsushi's tail came around and blocked Hisashi's line of sight.

"Hey!" Hisashi protested and tried to shift it away, but more tails wound around him instead.

While his vision was obstructed, Hisashi heard Hidehiko uncorking the bottle with a tell-tale pop. Even with the tails wrapped around his eyes, Hisashi could see tiny rays of bright white light shining through the fur. He stopped trying to pull the tails apart, realising that Hidehiko wasn’t joking about how absolutely  _ blinding  _ whatever came out of the bottle was.

As the light continued to shine, Hisashi heard a pleased ‘meow’ coming from Atsushi and within the next moment, the brightness subsided. Once that happened, Atsushi didn't need to wait for Hisashi to start up his protests again before shifting his tails away to show Hidehiko pushing the stopper back into the bottle and fastening it to his side once more.

"What was that?" Hisashi asked.

"His food," Hidehiko repeated unhelpfully and turned to Atsushi. "Need anything else?"

Atsushi shook his head and twisted his body, bringing his head towards Hisashi. Hisashi had to admit that watching the big cat head swivel to him gave him a jolt of fear which made his chest seize up. Even if he knew Atsushi wasn't going to harm him, it was probably going to take some getting used to this. After all, giant cats aren't an everyday occurrence, are they? Especially when the cat bares its teeth and picks you up from behind by your clothes and then tosses you into the air.

Taken by surprise, Hisashi was far too busy wondering why Atsushi would do such a thing to him to react. He had been thrown so high that he thought he would hit the ceiling of this dwelling. In fact, he came within an inch of that before gravity did its work and he started falling back down. Flailing uselessly, Hisashi yelled, "Atsushi!?"

The next thing Hisashi knew, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, holding him securely as a low chuckle sounded by his ear. Craning his neck around, Hisashi found Atsushi's smiling face beaming at him, mischief twinkling in his golden eyes.

As pleased as he was to see Atsushi in his more human form, Hisashi couldn't help but exclaim, "What was that for?!"

"Yeah! What was that for?!" Hidehiko echoed as Hisashi felt his feet touch the floor. "He almost fell on me!"

"What?!" Hisashi blurted.

"If he breaks his back again, I'm not feeding you any more!" Hidehiko warned.

"He won't," Atsushi cooed, still holding onto Hisashi and nuzzling against him. “I won’t let him.”

“But you just flung him-! Ah, whatever,” Hidehiko huffed with a wave of his hand. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving,” he said, already halfway out the exit.

“Thank you for the meal,” Atsushi called after him sweetly, waving goodbye as Hidehiko disappeared without another word.

Now that they were alone, Hisashi asked, “I guess this means you’re no longer angry with me?”

To that, Atsushi simply hummed and skirted the question by asking, “Can you walk?”

Only when Atsushi asked him did Hisashi realise that he was standing on his own two feet without support. Didn’t all they say that he broke his back? Come to think of it, all that pain he felt when he last woke up was gone. “I… I’m standing?” Hisashi muttered to himself.

“Can you walk?” Atsushi asked again, beckoning with outstretched arms and open palms… tipped with particularly sharp-looking, pointy nails.

"Are those… claws?" Hisashi asked with a swallow. He never noticed them previously.

"This is the best I can do for now," Atsushi said, his smile fading with a… flick of the cat ears atop his head.

"For now?"

"I haven't recovered enough to conceal these properly," Atsushi answered, briefly touching his ears with downcast eyes.

“How much… energy did you spend on me?” Hisashi asked as he watched Atsushi keenly, suddenly worried that he had made the being sacrifice too much of himself.

“I spent what was needed,” Atsushi replied simply as if it didn’t affect him.

Hisashi let out a low hum. Atsushi was being evasive again. After a moment, another question came to mind. “How long have I been here for?”

“Mm, you’ve been unconscious for the better part of the past four days until you supposedly woke up yesterday,” Atsushi thought aloud. “So, this would be your fifth day here,” he concluded.

Five days!? Hisashi felt a pang of anxiety. His brother was going to come by tomorrow and he had nothing to show for the week yet. And what was Aunty going to think about him disappearing for five days? What did the village think happened to him? Were there search parties? Did they give up and think he died?

"Since it was your back that you hurt, I suppose it’s a good thing that you  _ can _ stand,” Atsushi went on.

“What do you mean?”

“I think… If we weren’t around and considering the height from which you fell… If you didn’t die from it, you wouldn’t be able to feel your legs, much less stand,” Atsushi explained hesitantly, eyes to the ground.

Hisashi felt a chill run through his body. He could’ve been paralysed. Yet… He looked down at his legs. He felt alright standing like this. He sensed no weakness in them at all. Hisashi felt his chest grow warm, realising that Atsushi had worked some kind of miracle on him at the cost of his own state.

“At least show me the effort was worth it," Atsushi said, changing the topic as he looked up at Hisashi again. "Can you walk?

"Well, I feel fine…" Hisashi muttered but, for some reason, he felt reluctant to move. He carefully bent his knees and immediately felt a dull ache in his back.

It must've shown on his face because Atsushi was suddenly by his side, one arm held in front of Hisashi while his other hand was placed on his back. As a warm sensation bloomed where Atsushi laid his palm, Atsushi asked softly, "Better?"

Hisashi shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It seemed alright like this, but what about moving a little more? Mentally preparing himself for more pain, Hisashi took a deep breath, lifted his foot, and stepped forward… He paused, surprised.

"How is it?" Atsushi asked.

"It feels… alright?" Hisashi answered, looking at Atsushi with raised eyebrows.

But Atsushi's brow was furrowed. He didn't respond with anything more than a pensive hum. At the same time, the warmth on Hisashi's back gradually faded, only to bring about the return of that dull ache which he felt earlier. Wincing, Hisashi felt worry bubbling in his chest. What if this was permanent? What if he never fully healed?

“Will this ever go away?” Hisashi asked quietly. “This pain?”

“Probably,” Atsushi muttered, his frown deepening as his eyes fixed on Hisashi’s back. “Maybe, with time.”

“Maybe?” Hisashi echoed. That wasn’t a very reassuring answer. He kept looking at Atsushi, but Atsushi paid him no heed. Eventually, he pointed out, “You look worried.”

“Mm,” Atsushi hummed distractedly as he prodded Hisashi’s lower back.

When Atsushi pressed a particular spot near his tailbone, a sudden stab of pain made Hisashi hiss. Atsushi hummed again and this time, instead of warmth, Hisashi felt an icy sensation chilling that area.

“Atsushi?”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing?” Hisashi asked.

“I’m trying to see what else I can do,” Atsushi mumbled, moving behind Hisashi.

“… Was I supposed to have been healed?” Hisashi surmised, looking over his shoulder.

“Yes, but… This…” Atsushi’s stoic expression cracked slightly with dismay. “Despite how long I’ve been around, something this severe… I’ve never…”

“Bothered?” Hisashi finished, turning to face the front again. “Both Yutaka and Hidehiko said it,” he raised, recalling their remarks. “They said they wouldn’t have even bothered with trying.”

“That… That’s true,” Atsushi admitted, his voice small.

“Then, why now?” Hisashi asked. “Why would you bother with me?”

“I made a promise, didn’t I?” Atsushi replied. “Let me have your soul and I’ll help you live a good, long life?”

“Yutaka said it’s ‘energy’ rather than ‘soul’, though,” Hisashi commented, suddenly remembering that nuance.

“Same difference,” Atsushi mumbled. He sounded glum.

“And… didn’t you only have a ‘sip’?” Hisashi pointed out.

“A sip is a sip,” Atsushi said as the chill on Hisashi’s skin gradually faded. “You gave me some, I have to uphold my end of the bargain.”

Was that all? Did Atsushi only help him because of their agreement? Hisashi felt oddly affected by that notion. “You’re doing far more for me than I’ve given you,” he said. "That's not fair to you."

"I'll decide whether or not it's fair," Atsushi said snippily, rubbing his palm on Hisashi's back. "The pain shouldn't bother you now."

"Will it come back?" Hisashi asked as he turned to face Atsushi. Shifting his weight around and testing his movement, he found that Atsushi was right; there was no more pain.

"I'm not sure," Atsushi grimaced.

"You're very honest about this," Hisashi remarked.

"I cannot lie," Atsushi huffed, glancing at Hisashi with a pout as he folded his arms.

Hisashi let out a low hum and pressed his lips thin. What happened to all that nuzzling and purring and affection? Atsushi seemed entirely standoffish again and his mercurial behaviour was frustrating Hisashi. Did Atsushi think that he was still unwelcome? Maybe he should try inviting Atsushi back.

"What if you came back to the house?" Hisashi asked.

"What for?" Atsushi asked back.

"Then… you could see how the healing holds up," Hisashi suggested. "As you said, you've never attempted this before."

"I can observe fine without staying  _ that _ close to find out," Atsushi rejected.

"If the pain comes back-"

"You have medicine for that, don't you?" Atsushi cut in, nonchalantly fidgeting with his many tails. "I remember the people of where I came from would smoke something for that effect."

"… No, I don't think we have anything like that here," Hisashi muttered. He only ever smoked tobacco anyway.

"You'll manage," Atsushi concluded as if ignoring the potential problem that Hisashi raised.

"Atsushi-"

"I can't go back anyway," Atsushi added, gesturing at the non-human parts of his physical appearance. "Definitely not when I look like this. Not when I can't manage holding myself together in a smaller feline form."

"I don't mind," Hisashi said quietly.

" _ You _ don't, but all those other people will," Atsushi said impatiently, flicking his hand in a random direction. Or perhaps, in the direction of the town. "If anyone sees me with you, they'd think you're not yourself, that you've been bewitched, probably; especially since you've now been gone for five days."

Was he? Atsushi's mention of it made Hisashi pause and consider it himself. Could it be that Atsushi had done something to him? To make him more pliable? But Atsushi had said that he never wanted to force Hisashi into anything. And he had never felt any ill will or threat from Atsushi. That was despite the fact that Hisashi was fully aware of exactly what Atsushi was capable of. He had seen, or rather, heard it happen himself.

"You're thinking so, aren't you?" Atsushi suddenly asked. It didn't sound like a question, though.

Hisashi blinked, surprised. Was Atsushi reading his mind? Denying, he started, "No, well, I mean-"

" _ Get out _ ," Atsushi scowled, refusing to hear what Hisashi had to say as his tone turned hostile.

"Wait, Atsushi-"

"Leave," Atsushi growled, visibly angry.

As Atsushi stepped forward, Hisashi quickly backed away. For once, he was actually getting worried about what Atsushi might do to him.

"After all that I've done," Atsushi seethed and paused, letting out a pained exhale. "After all that I've done, you still doubt me," he finished.

"Atsushi, wait, please," Hisashi said quickly as Atsushi grabbed his bag and his kiseru from some corner and tossed them to him. Hisashi could feel Atsushi's rage rolling off him in waves. He knew something wasn't right, but what? "Atsushi, please listen-"

"Get out!" Atsushi snapped, shoving Hisashi through the vines which covered the lone exit.

"Wait!" Hisashi called as he stumbled back through the curtain of leaves and out into the open. "Atsushi!" He tried to brush the vines away and go back in but instead, all he found behind the vines was a rock wall. He froze, eyes wide in confusion. Didn't he just come out through there?

"Atsushi?" Hisashi called, pressing his hands on the cold, rough surface as he groped around. Was there a way to push the wall aside? To find that opening again? But no matter how much he searched, the wall remained a regular wall.

Reluctantly dropping his arms to his sides, Hisashi stepped back with dismay and stared at the wall of vines. How did everything unravel so suddenly so quickly? His eyes travelled up the wall as he tried to see how far up this rock face went, but its peak was obscured by the canopy overhead blending in with the vines.

With his things still bundled up in his arms, Hisashi stepped back again, this time stopping further away to get a better view of the rock face. The vines only covered that particular section of the rocks where he supposedly came out from. This meant he couldn't have gone in the wrong direction to try and search for the entrance after getting thrown out. That was the only spot there was.

His mind still reeling from his sudden dismissal, Hisashi’s eyes continued following the creeping vines, but this time, downwards. The leafy vines reached to the floor and spread out, covering the ground like a carpet. They were even under Hisashi’s feet, actually. Eyes on the leaves before him, Hisashi stared for a while and as he gradually calmed down he finally recognised what plant it was. This whole place was covered in kudzu.

Once again, Hisashi was stunned, but this time, for a different reason. He had been searching so hard for this particular plant yet here it was in abundance. Hisashi felt a sudden, indescribable pang in his chest. Was this yet another favour by Atsushi?

Squatting down, Hisashi stuck his hand into the dirt and dug around to pull out a handful of roots. He didn’t want to go overboard and pick this place clean. He would be taking advantage of Atsushi and Hisashi didn’t think that it was a good idea to be doing that, especially with how upset Atsushi was with him. This would mean he was going to let his brother bring home the smallest harvest so far. But his father shouldn’t be too displeased by that. Especially since Hisashi had been ‘missing’.

Hisashi stood up. Dusting the excess soil off the few roots, he put them into his bag and took one last long look at the wall of vines creeping up the rock face. He waited, expecting, or rather, hoping that Atsushi would burst out and demand that he leave the roots behind, but all was calm around him. The bird chirped, the breeze was gentle, the sunshine was warm. And it remained calm.


	16. 16

Hisashi took quite a while to get home from the little kudzu grove which Atsushi left him in. He ended up trudging around for the rest of the day and into the night before somehow stumbling out of the treeline and into the backyard of his home. Aunty and a few other locals, including Matsumoto and his friend Hayashi were there.

All that walking had left Hisashi dishevelled enough to convince them all that he simply lost his way when he slipped and fell off somewhere during that storm. From what they shared, the storm was so strong that it messed up the farm fields and a few less-sturdy houses so that made his story more than believable. They even helped Hisashi to convince his brother that he was truly lost in the forest and held hostage in it by the weather. But that brought another problem when his brother came back the next week.

"Mother wants you home," Hiruma, his brother informed. "She was rather upset about what happened. Father was too but, you know, for a different reason," he shrugged, digging in his pack for a small, tightly bundled package. Handing it to Hisashi, he said, "Here, your tobacco."

Hisashi leaned forward and accepted it with a grimace, "Thanks." As he feared, the pain in his back had returned mere days after his last meeting with Atsushi. This wasn't good.

"Hurt your back?" Hiruma asked as he watched Hisashi rub his lower back.

"Mm," Hisashi hummed. He couldn't quite figure out how to alleviate this. "Might've been when I fell during the storm," he explained, internally scoffing at himself for that 'might've'.

"Do you want me to get some of that stuff?" Hiruma asked with a knowing look in his eyes. "You know, rather than tobacco. They say it helps with pain."

"What stuff, and who's 'they'?" Hisashi asked back with a huff of frustration. He remembered Atsushi mentioning something similar.

“Just… some guys who came in from out of town,” Hiruma answered vaguely, avoiding eye contact with Hisashi as he did.

“Uhhuh,” Hisashi muttered, looking at Hiruma with a suspicious eye as he sipped the green tea which Aunty had made for them earlier. 

“Anyway,” Hiruma coughed. “They brought in some stuff from Yokohama saying that it’s supposed to be some sort of cure-all-”

“That sounds  _ very _ illegal, Hiruma,” Hisashi said with a low voice.

“That’s because the government recently announced an edict denouncing that,” Honma piped up as he came back into the house. He had, for some reason, followed Hiruma back here again.

Hisashi wrinkled his nose and he glared at Hiruma. “Are you trying to get me in trouble with father again?” he growled.

“Well, hey, it’s just a suggestion,” Hiruma quickly refuted, holding both hands up as he leaned away. “You look like you need a remedy for that anyway,” he pointed out, gesturing to Hisashi’s back. “I don’t know how you’re going to help father fulfil his orders if you can’t trek around because of a backache.”

“So, you’re suggesting that I take something that makes me think it doesn’t hurt even though it does?” Hisashi questioned flatly. “Won’t I risk hurting myself more, then?”

“On second thought… maybe that isn’t such a good idea,” Hiruma muttered sheepishly.

"You're telling me," Hisashi scoffed.

"Told you he wouldn't take that suggestion," Honma chuckled as he sat down at the hearth with Hisashi and his brother.

"You're in this?" Hisashi asked, turning to side-eye Honma.

"He brought it up," Honma shrugged. "I said nothing much."

"Yeah, right," Hiruma retorted. "You were getting excited about if he said yes."

"Nooooo," Honma denied, waving his hands. "No such thing!"

"You-!"

"Why are  _ you _ here anyway?" Hisashi interrupted, cutting his brother off to question Honma.

"Eh… Well, as I've said, it's a nice getaway," Honma said with shifty eyes.

Very convincing. Hisashi rolled his eyes and scoffed again, "It was just a couple of weeks ago that you said this place was boring the hell out of you."

"Hey, now, weren't you happy to see me? Happy to have companionship?" Honma recalled, waving a finger around. "Why so sour now?" 

"Because I figured out that my cat doesn't like you," Hisashi grumbled, looking down into his teacup as he sipped. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if he could call Atsushi  _ his _ cat anymore. Not since he got thrown out.

From deeper in the house came another voice Hisashi knew well, remarking sceptically, "Sounds like he's already smoking something."

"Oh, come on, Yokoyama," Hisashi huffed in response as he watched his other close friend approach them from one of the guestrooms. "It's not that weird that I have a cat."

"You have a cat? Since when?" Hiruma piped up as if suddenly registering what Hisashi had been saying.

"Since I got here," Hisashi answered curtly. "He stuck around so I kept him," he added. Noticing the weird stares the three other men gave him, he frowned and retorted, "Can't I have one?"

"Well… it's not that you can't, but you don't like cats," Yokoyama scratched his head and shrugged. "That's your  _ thing _ . Everyone knows it."

"Well, I changed my mind then," Hisashi said, brushing it off.

"He's definitely smoking not-tobacco," Honma muttered to Yokoyama.

"I'm not!" 

"So, where's this cat?" Hiruma asked as he looked around.

"Missing," Hisashi answered glumly. It was a fact. Casting a look in Honma's direction, he added, "Probably because you're back."

"But I did nothing!" Honma protested.

"You offended his cat?" Yokoyama surmised with a disbelieving chuckle.

"I swear I did  _ nothing _ !" Honma stressed. "I don't know why it's got something against me!"

"You've met this cat he speaks of?" Hiruma asked, leaning forward with interest.

"Once," Honma nodded. "It was huge, I'm telling you. And you know what?  _ It glared at me so hard. _ "

Yokoyama immediately burst out laughing. "You must've offended it majorly, Honma," he guffawed. "What on earth did you do?"

"Nothing!" Honma repeated, insisting with exasperation.

"Or was it… nothing you remember?" Hisashi asked as a thought came to mind. "You were drunk a lot of the time, weren't you?"

"Hey, I may drink a lot, but I'm pretty sure I know what I've been doing," Honma opposed confidently. "I'm not a forgetful drunk, unlike  _ someone _ , " he added pointedly.

"Pretty sure, huh," Hisashi muttered, unconvinced and unperturbed. "Did you try to shoo away a cat or something?" he asked.

"Isn't that normal to do?" Honma asked.

Hisashi felt a muscle in his face twitch. So, this means that Honma did. "Did you throw something at the cat?" he asked further. "Or  _ kick _ it?"

"I didn't kick it!"

"So, you did throw things," Hisashi concluded.

"But I didn't throw it at  _ your _ cat!" Honma said defensively. "I know what that one looks like."

Hisashi slapped a hand to his face and huffed, "Honmaa!"

"What?!"

"What did you do that for?" Hisashi groaned.

"But I didn't do anything to your cat!"

"But _they_ _gossip_ ," Hisashi hissed, concluding that word of this affront must have reached Atsushi.

"Oh, come on," Honma crossed his arms as he rolled his eyes. "You can't really believe that old wives' tale about gossiping animals."

Yokoyama suddenly leaned towards Hisashi and sniffed audibly.

Hisashi jerked away, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Hmm." Yokoyama sucked on his inner cheek and muttered, "You don't smell like you smoked anything weird."

"I'm telling you I only have tobacco!" Hisashi pointed at his brother. "He can vouch for me!"

Hiruma leaned back, supported by his outstretched arm behind as he shrugged and smirked, "I don't know if you bought anything from someone around here."

Hisashi shot him a look. “If that’s what you’re going to tell Father-”

“Relax, I'm just kidding,” Hiruma drawled.

Drinking his tea, Hisashi glared at Hiruma with doubt. If his big mouth got him in trouble again, who knows what Father might resort to this time. It felt as if sending Hisashi here was meant to be in retaliation of the last time, and if that were true, what's next? Sending him abroad? Actual exile?

"Are you done yet? With your tea?" Yokoyama spoke up as he pointed at Hisashi's cup.

"More or less," Hisashi muttered, glancing at the almost empty vessel. "Why?"

"Take us up the mountain," Yokoyama requested. "If you can," he added quickly, suddenly recalling Hisashi's back issues.

"Get Hiruma to bring you up," Hisashi deflected, feeling somewhat reluctant.

"Oh, come on. Hiruma probably doesn't know the place as well as you do," Yokoyama persuaded as Hiruma nodded in agreement. "You're probably the best guide for this."

Hisashi glanced in the general direction of the mountain and pressed his lips thin. As reluctant as he felt, he might come across Atsushi somewhere up there. Although, with such a crowd, he was sceptical Atsushi would appear at all.

"Your cat's missing, isn't it?" Yokoyama brought up. "We could help you to keep a lookout for it while we're up there," he suggested with a nod.

Again, Hisashi felt doubtful about that but… a small chance was better than none, right? Wrinkling his nose, Hisashi exhaled heavily and said, "Fine. I'll take you up halfway. Or as far as my back allows. Doesn't feel like a good day today."

With a whoop, Yokoyama got to his feet while the rest of them started moving too, albeit with reluctance on Hiruma and Hisashi's end. There was nothing interesting about the mountain to the brothers but for Hisashi's friends, it was something new to explore. Thinking about it that way, Hisashi could understand their enthusiasm. He just hoped there would be no more storms appearing out of nowhere.

That said, the weather looked more than fine when the four of them left the house and started their way up. Their progress was leisurely, but that was alright with Hisashi. He wasn’t on a schedule anyway. His back did hurt, but it wasn't too bad. He had worse days and today, he managed to make it past the hidden hot springs and get to the stream before he needed to rest.

Settling down on his usual rock, Hisashi took out his kiseru and started rolling a fresh ball of tobacco while his friends clambered around. Watching their fascination over the hot springs earlier was entertaining and now, he could hear them talking about when they would come back and soak.

“So, that’s what you brought your kiseru for,” Hiruma’s voice approached.

“Enjoying the best of nature while smoking? There’s nothing like it,” Hisashi smiled smugly.

“I guess you’ve found your own way to enjoy your time alone here,” Hiruma remarked. "Could've shared the tip."

"You can bring yours along next time," Hisashi shrugged as he put the tobacco ball into the bowl. "Besides, I figured I'd need more breaks than any of you," he added and patted his lower back. "You know, with this?"

"Hm, true," Hiruma conceded while watching Hisashi turn away from the wind to light his kiseru. "I suppose this means you're going to stay here? It doesn't look like those two are interested in winding down anytime soon," he gestured at Honma and Yokoyama who were splashing in the stream some distance away.

"Yeah," Hisashi answered. He sucked in a breath through the mouthpiece and exhaled, closing his eyes as he felt the breeze coming by. Glancing up at the sky, he noticed it was already well past midday. Hisashi let out a soft sigh. That was one disadvantage of heading out late; they wouldn't be able to cover more ground.

Turning to his brother, Hisashi asked, "Do you think you can take them to the clearing just a bit further up? There's one with a better view much higher but it doesn't look like there's enough daylight for you to make it up, even without me slowing you down."

"I only know the one up ahead anyway," Hiruma said with a nod. Ambling away, he called out to Honma and Yokoyama, "You two want to move on? There's a view further up."

Pausing in their shenanigans, Yokoyama looked up and said, "Sure thing!"

"Imai, you coming?" Honma turned back to ask as Hiruma led them away.

Hisashi waved a hand in the air, indicating a 'no' before pointing to his back.

"We'll see you in a bit, then!" Honma waved back before he quickly dashed off to catch up with the others.

Now left alone, Hisashi could finally relax. He stretched his legs out and took a deep breath through the kiseru, letting out a long exhale as he let himself immerse in his serene surroundings. Things were always a bit livelier than usual during his brother's visits and that was mostly because of the people who tag along. If it was his sister who joined Hiruma, there wouldn’t be much of a difference but to think that Honma came back and this time, even Yokoyama followed.

Not that Hisashi hated the company, though. It was just that having guests took a little more out of him at the end of the day than usual. Probably because he knew that he had to play host and he wouldn’t feel good anyway if his guests weren’t accounted for. Hm. He must have picked this up from Mother. His father tended to be too busy enjoying himself with guests to fret about anything anyway.

A sudden rustling from the opposite bank drew Hisashi back into reality. Snapping his head to the noise, Hisashi felt slightly apprehensive as he searched the foliage for the source of the noise. He would have to hightail it if a wild boar popped up. Not that he had seen any in the past few weeks, but he knew there were herds dwelling on the mountain. He had seen hunters catch them when they wandered into the fields.

The rustling grew louder and some of the shrubs along the treeline began moving. The moment Hisashi spotted that, he tensed then grimaced right away. He could feel his back protesting against the sudden movement. Hisashi grit his teeth. If it was a wild boar, he had no choice but to force his way through that, though. Otherwise, he would be asking for a mauling. And he doubted that Atsushi would save him this time.

A big brown shape burst out into the open and Hisashi immediately turned to make a run for it, only to feel a sharp stab of pain running up his spine. Letting out an audible exhale, Hisashi slowly sat back down on the rock. This was useless. Sudden movements were impossible after all. He wasn't going get anywhere like this. Well, at least he didn't hear any more movement behind him.

Wanting to see where the animal was, Hisashi turned slowly, partly to ease the pain and partly out of caution. What he saw made him heave a sigh of relief.

The brown shape wasn't a wild boar after all. It was Atsushi. But something was off. He was still a tad bit bigger than his usual self, which was not what surprised Hisashi. He expected this. Instead, it was his behaviour rather than his appearance which gave Hisashi that strange feeling.

Atsushi was staring at Hisashi while frozen in his spot. Wide-eyed, Atsushi seemed somewhat anxious, or perhaps, he might even be in shock. All of this considered, Hisashi got the sense that Atsushi was feeling harried when their eyes met. What happened?

Just as Hisashi was about to call out to him, the distant sound of a commotion came from the same spot where Atsushi exited. He watched as Atsushi tossed a frantic glance over his shoulder and then leap across the stream to Hisashi’s side of the bank. Landing with a splash at the edge of the water, Atsushi didn’t even bother to shake his paws dry before he dashed past Hisashi and disappeared into the forest once more.

The next moment, the opposite bank erupted with the voices of angry men yelling, “Where did it go?!”

Hisashi turned and stared at the group of five men who froze at the sight of him. Clearly, they were not expecting to see him sitting there. Hisashi frowned at the various farming tools and ropes they held in their hands and asked, “What are you doing here? Have you forgotten that this is private property?”

The men exchanged wary glances with each other. Eventually, the one who held a sickle spoke up. “We… uh, didn’t mean to trespass. We just got a bit too carried away with a pest-”

Hisashi bristled with anger at the mention of the word and interrupted with a hiss, “A  _ pest _ ?” Were they calling Atsushi a pest?

“Yes,” the man affirmed, nervously fidgeting with his sickle. “There’s been a wild animal attacking our poultry in recent days and we were chasing after a possible culprit…”

As the man’s voice faded away, Hisashi began to feel conflicted about this. Had Atsushi been going after the locals’ ducks and chickens? He understood their frustration but he hoped they were wrong about the culprit. To him, it seemed improbable that Atsushi would do something like this. Especially since he had been so cautious and paranoid about other people seeing him when he was not his usual self.

“Did you…” The farmer’s voice snapped Hisashi out of his thoughts. “Did you happen to see the animal?” he asked. “We followed it in this direction but…”

“There,” Hisashi said, pointing ahead in the opposite direction that Atsushi went. “I didn’t pay attention but I think I saw something going that way,” he added.

“Thank you,” the men said with hasty bows as they ran off a little less rumbustiously than when they appeared.

Watching them leave, Hisashi felt his stomach roll with worry. This was the least he could do for Atsushi, but this would not guarantee that he would never be caught. While Hisashi took comfort in how the farmers didn’t seem sure of what animal was attacking their poultry, it also meant that they would go after anything that looked like possible predators.

Hisashi sucked on the kiseru and let out a long sigh with his exhale. He looked at the place where he last saw Atsushi before he disappeared. To his surprise, he caught a flash of gold looking back at him, but when he blinked, there was nothing there. Was he just imagining it?

Hisashi sighed again and cast his concerned gaze to the flowing waters of the stream. If only Atsushi would come back.


	17. 17

"I feel like a damned geriatric," Hisashi grumbled as he leaned against a tree trunk.

Maybe Hisashi was simply overthinking it, but over the past few days, he got an increasingly strong notion that the condition of his back had deteriorated. He had even started taking a walking stick up the mountain with him, but that might not have been a great idea. He felt as if he was starting to rely on it. Good thing Yokoyama decided that it would be more interesting to follow Hisashi on his daily treks. It was nice to have someone around to help him out.

"You sure you want to keep going, Imai?" Yokoyama asked as he opened Hisashi's satchel and peeped in. He was carrying it for Hisashi now. "We've already got a good amount of those roots here," he pointed out.

Grunting, Hisashi pushed himself off the tree and shuffled over to Yokoyama. Looking into the bag, he found that Yokoyama was right. He hadn't realised how much they had gathered today. Well, they did manage to find a couple of bountiful patches today after all.

Noticing that Hisashi was considering his suggestion, Yokoyama added, “It’s still early enough that we can go into town and see what Honma is up to…”

"That's true," Hisashi concurred with a raise of his eyebrows. Maybe then he would get to find out exactly what Honma was here for. He wasn't convinced by his claim of a 'getaway'.

"Alright then, shall we?" Yokoyama said with a grin.

Nodding, Hisashi let Yokoyama lead the way down while he carefully followed behind. His slowed pace was frustrating, but it was better than falling again. Who knows what would happen then. At least the descent was faster than the ascent and in less than an hour, they were back at the house.

As Yokoyama went inside to put away the foraging bag, Hisashi sat himself down on the step by the front door and stretched his legs out. Slowly he bent from side to side, and finally forward to try and ease the pain. He could feel the strain in his back, pulling against his efforts as the pain gradually intensified until he released it. Leaning back, Hisashi sucked in a breath and sighed with relief. Doing that hurt, but at least it made the ache a little more bearable afterwards.

Out of nowhere, Hisashi felt a hard press against his tailbone. As he hissed in surprise at the sudden jolt of pain, Yokoyama asked, “Need help with that?”

“Get your hand away from me!” Hisashi snapped and jerked away.

“Ah, I hit a sore spot there?” Yokoyama muttered.

“Y’think?!”

“Sorry about that,” Yokoyama apologised with a grimace as he then extended a hand to Hisashi.

Hisashi shot Yokoyama a glare and grabbed his hand, letting the other man help him up to his feet. “Refrain from hitting that spot, won’t you?” Hisashi huffed.

“Yeah, got it. Sorry,” Yokoyama apologised again with a sheepish grin. “Still up for going into town?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Hisashi nodded while massaging his back with a hand. “I’m not exactly in the mood for sitting around today.”

"Alright then, let's go."

As eager as Yokoyama was, Hisashi could tell he was holding back to match his stroll of a pace. Well, they weren't in any particular rush and the town wasn't going anywhere anyway.

They went down the slight slope which elevated the estate above the rest of the town and entered the rice fields sprawled out between Hisashi's home and the main town centre. Out of the corner of his eye, Hisashi noticed the bright red torii gates of the temple nestled in the lush green forest to their right. Come to think of it he has yet to go back since his last time there, and neither has he taken up the head priest's offer to use their library.

Hisashi hummed lowly to himself. He didn't see much of a need to, though. He doubted the library would contain anything about what Atsushi truly was. He came across as an amalgamation of a few different entities to Hisashi, not as clear cut as those he had heard of in folklore.

"What's up?" Yokoyama suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"You were humming."

"Oh." Hisashi didn't realise that he could be heard. "I was just thinking… I haven't been to the local temple in a while," he replied. Well, that was half the truth.

"Where?"

"There, past the torii gates," Hisashi pointed. The gates stood out so starkly against their surroundings, it seemed impossible that Yokoyama would have missed them. But when Hisashi recalled the shrine maiden he met, he began to worry. What if this was another one of those things only  _ he  _ sees that no one else can? It couldn't be, right? After all, those sacred grounds had always been there since he was young. 

Yokoyama stared and squinted hard in that direction as Hisashi watched on with quiet, mounting anxiety which grew with each moment Yokoyama stayed silent. What if Hisashi truly was the only one seeing things again?

Eventually, Yokoyama exclaimed, "Ah! I see it now!"

Hisashi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't his imagination going wild or his memory deceiving him then. "Goodness, is your eyesight that bad?" he remarked with disbelief.

"I mean, it's pretty far away, isn't it?" Yokoyama said as he kept squinting.

"Maybe  _ you're _ the one who needs a walking stick. Lest you walk into something," Hisashi muttered with disbelief. How bad was Yokoyama’s eyesight?

"I can see this vicinity just fine!" Yokoyama protested, gesturing to the area around them. "It's just how it is when things are too far away."

"Maybe you should get one of those eyeglasses things."

"I don't need-"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Honma's distant exclamation caught their attention. The two men turned to see Honma sprinting towards them, adding, "I thought I'd have to go up the mountain to look for you!"

"Why are you running?" Yokoyama asked. "What's so urgent?"

"Did you get into trouble?" Hisashi asked flatly, folding his arms as Honma stopped before them.

Panting as he put his hand against his side, Honma denied, "It's not me!"

"Then? What is it?" Hisashi pressed.

"Your cat!" Honma blurted.

"My cat?" Hisashi echoed, confused. "What about my cat?"

"It's stuck on a roof!"

“Where?” Hisashi asked quickly. He was surprised that Honma saw Atsushi. Wasn't he typically rather stealthy?

“On one of the farmer’s homes just down the road,” Honma pointed behind him.

“Huh.” Hisashi stared ahead towards the cluster of single-floor homes. He wouldn’t expect Atsushi to have a problem with that kind of height. “If that’s the case, I’m sure he’d get down on his own and disappear before we get there,” he said to Honma.

“No! You don’t get it!” Honma stressed, waving his hands around.

“Then, explain,” Hisashi frowned. What on earth was Honma so worked up about?

“It’s stuck on the roof, your cat,” Honma elaborated with frantic eyes. “The farmers have him surrounded.”

Hisashi froze and stared at Honma as the information sunk in. He could feel his mouth turning dry. What kind of trouble did Atsushi get into to end up surrounded while stuck on a roof?

"Why didn't you say so earlier!?" Hisashi asked as he recovered from his bewilderment. "Where is he?"

"Come on, this way," Honma said quickly, grabbing Hisashi by his forearm to pull him along.

Hisashi somehow forgot the ache in his back as he navigated the paths between the rice fields with Honma leading and Yokoyama following. Before long, he could hear familiar yowls and hisses above a commotion from the crowd just up ahead. From this distance, he could barely spot Atsushi. His fur helped him blend into the bundles of reeds which made up the roof. Once they got closer though, Atsushi was hard to miss. Especially with how he looked twice as big as usual thanks to his fur standing on end.

Atsushi was well and truly trapped on that rooftop. This was a standalone house with no other structure close enough for him to leap to and escape from. And although the farmers only had two ladders, they were all gathered around on the ground while two men stood precariously at the top of each ladder leaning on opposite ends of the roof. They jabbed their tools at Atsushi, making the cat being hiss and swipe angrily at whatever came his way.

“Hey!” Hisashi yelled, drawing everyone’s attention towards him as they approached. He thought Atsushi might be happy to see him, but there was quite a scowl on his face. Maybe he was overly agitated, Hisashi hoped. Regardless, he yelled again, “What do you think you’re doing!? Stop that!”

“What do  _ you _ think you’re doing?” one of the farmers retorted. “Don’t keep us from protecting our livestock!”

“What on earth are you talking about?!” Hisashi demanded.

“This is the creature that we’ve been hunting,” another farmer spoke up. Hisashi recognised him as the one who held the sickle the other day. “The one that’s been killing our animals.”

“What proof do you have?” Hisashi questioned as he stood under the roof between the men and Atsushi with Honma and Yokoyama.

“Claw marks,” yet another farmer piped in. "And the fact that this all started happening when this  _ cat _ showed up. There's never been an animal which looks like this in the area-"

"That's because he's  _ my _ cat!" Hisashi cut in angrily, affronted by the accusations.

"We didn't see it with you when you first came!" someone pointed out.

"Because he went missing on my way here!" Hisashi replied, lying through his teeth. No one would know he was lying anyway.

"You've never said anything about a cat!" Another voice raised.

"I thought I'd be able to find him on my own, rather than bothering the whole town with him," Hisashi responded, eyes flashing as he cast his gaze across the increasingly uncertain crowd. "Instead, I find you lot  _ threatening _ my cat," he snapped.

A morose yowl came from above as if punctuating Hisashi’s statement. Looking up, Hisashi found Atsushi’s golden eyes peering down at him from the edge of the rooftop while his tail twitched behind.

Without warning, Atsushi leapt down from the roof. He landed heavily on Hisashi and caused his back to flare with pain. Hisashi winced as Atsushi stood on his shoulders until he settled into Hisashi’s arms with his front paws on Hisashi’s shoulder.

With the way Atsushi positioned himself, Hisashi felt as if he was carrying his three-year-old rather than a cat. As much as he would like to speak to Atsushi, Hisashi could already feel the villagers staring at them for the familiarity that Atsushi displayed with him. Well, at least this would confirm Hisashi’s claim that Atsushi was  _ his _ cat.

“Since it’s  _ your  _ cat,” the first farmer began, “what are you going to do about our ducks and chickens which he killed?”

“Yeah!” another piped up again. “We were supposed to feed our families with those. What are we going to do now?! Who’s going to compensate us for all that?!”

“You can’t even prove that my cat is behind all that!” Hisashi retorted, adamant that Atsushi was innocent. Well, he wasn’t completely sure, but he wasn’t about to give in to this bunch now. “And even if you can,” he added, “killing him won’t do you any good.”

“Its pelt will fetch a fair coin, wouldn’t it?” a farmer mentioned.

“Don’t you even think about it!” Hisashi warned, instinctively tightening his hold on Atsushi.

“If all of this stops after you bring that cat home,” the sickle-holding farmer started, “would  _ you  _ compensate us?”

Hisashi looked at him with a hard glare. Were they trying to fleece him? “Would you stop hunting my cat and  _ trespassing _ ?” he emphasised, reminding them of their intrusion. When his father was around, the villagers seemed more pliant, but now, it was getting obvious that they didn’t think much of him. Especially now, since he came between them and Atsushi.

“Hey, now,” Honma suddenly stepped in. “Why don’t we all just calm down-”

“Stay out of this, outsider,” the farmer snarled. “You keep sticking your nose where you shouldn’t-”

“Don’t start coming at my guest as well,” Hisashi warned, stepping in front of Honma despite the pain in his back.

“You-!”

“I’d suggest you drop all of this hostility now,” Hisashi interrupted with a low voice.

“Or what?” the farmer challenged.

“Or the next thing you’ll find is an official at your door."

“Are you threatening us?!” someone yelled.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t,” Hisashi shook his head as he smirked. “But who knows? Perhaps my father has already caught word of your intrusions. After all, my brother was with me on the mountain where we last met. He may have just told Father on a whim…”

Hisashi felt a small sense of victory when he saw a muscle twitch on the man’s face. But only a small one, because he knew he may have very well ruined whatever goodwill he had with this community.

Gradually, reluctantly, the farmer stepped back. “Take that cat and leave,” he said, meeting Hisashi’s eyes with a hard stare. “But know that if we ever catch even the slightest glimpse of that cat near our animals again-”

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” Hisashi cut in, refusing to hear the end of that statement.

Immediately turning on his heel, Hisashi forced himself to keep a straight face as he briskly marched away from the farmers’ homes with Atsushi in his arms and Honma and Yokoyama in tow. They made their way back out towards the rice fields, thankfully, without incident, and once they were far enough from the houses, Hisashi stopped in his tracks and slowly bent over, letting out a long exhale and a groan as he stretched his back.

“You pulled your back or something?” Honma asked.

“You know I hurt my back,” Hisashi said breathlessly. “And he’s not light, you know?” he added, patting Atsushi’s back.

Atsushi protested with a disgruntled ‘ngah’.

“Then put it down,” Honma said simply.

“After all that?” Hisashi jerked his head back in the direction of the farmers’ houses. “I don’t want to risk having him run off again.”

“Want me to carry it instead?” Yokoyama offered with outstretched arms. “Quite sure it won’t want Honma carrying it anyway,” he added with a chuckle.

“Well…” Hisashi tried to lean towards Yokoyama and let him carry Atsushi, but instead, Atsushi clung tighter to Hisashi and started purring. Hisashi pressed his lips thin and muttered, “Well, I guess not.” At least Atsushi seemed to be doing something. His back felt a little less painful.

Hisashi looked down at Atsushi as the large cat rubbed his face against the crook of Hisashi’s neck and continued purring incessantly. He wanted to talk to Atsushi, but with other people around, it wasn’t a good idea to do that now. Plus, Atsushi didn’t seem willing to talk at the moment too.

“Nevermind, I think I can handle this,” Hisashi muttered, doing a small hop as he adjusted his hold on Atsushi’s furry mass. “By the way,” he said, suddenly recalling something a farmer said to Honma, “what did that farmer mean when he said you’ve been ‘sticking your nose where you shouldn’t’?”

“Oh, did he?” Honma asked with an awkward chuckle.

“Yes?” Yokoyama added.  “What were you doing there anyway?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know, sightseeing, taking in the rural life and all that,” Honma replied with a grin and a wave of his hand. “Hey, you wanna go for a drink?” he asked, suddenly changing the topic. “I know I definitely need one after that racket.”

Hisashi exchanged a glance with Yokoyama. It was obvious something wasn’t right. Hisashi suspected it the first time Honma visited and now, that impression had only been intensified. But as he was before, Honma was tightlipped about it.

“I’ll go with you,” Yokoyama decided as he walked over to stand next to Honma. Turning back, he asked Hisashi, “Coming along?”

“With this?” Hisashi shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to gesture at Atsushi. “I don’t think so. I have to go back with him.”

“We’ll bring back a bottle for you then,” Honma sang, seemingly overjoyed at the prospect of getting drunk.

“How generous of you,” Hisashi muttered as he rolled his eyes and turned to walk back home. He heard the biddings of ‘see you later’ from behind and tossed a glance over his shoulder in acknowledgement. He wasn’t too interested in what those two would get up to right now.

Looking down at Atsushi again, Hisashi found those familiar golden eyes looking back up at him with a rather miserable expression this time. Seeing this, he could only sigh and mutter, “We need to talk.”


	18. 18

"It wasn't me," Atsushi whined as he sat in Hisashi's lap and clutched the front of his yukata.

The moment Hisashi entered the house and sat down on the front step, Atsushi had chosen to suddenly change his form. It was a bit jarring, to say the least, going from carrying a big cat to carrying a whole adult man with his face in his chest, but what could Hisashi do?

Taking a deep breath, Hisashi sighed and kicked off his sandals. "Aren't you usually very careful?" he asked as he stroked Atsushi's long locks. "What on earth were you doing there?"

"I didn't have a choice," Atsushi murmured, his voice muffled. "They kept coming into the forest and every time they saw me they would chase me."

"Wait," Hisashi frowned and paused. "They kept going into the forest?"

"I could hear them," Atsushi said as he nodded. "They were always so loud."

This would mean that the last time Hisashi saw the farmers on the mountain might not have been their first intrusion. If they had been trespassing on their land all this while without Hisashi's knowledge, that would explain their surprise when they saw him the other day. But what were they doing there?

"Do you know why they were doing that?" Hisashi asked, staring into the distance as he tried to wrap his mind around all this.

"At first, they came in because of what they told you," Atsushi replied softly. "They were looking for the foxes which ate their chickens."

Hisashi's frown deepened. "Did they already know that they should be looking for foxes?" he asked. If they did…

"No," Atsushi answered. "I don’t think they ever had a chance to see the perpetrators at work."

"Hm." At least this meant that they didn't deliberately go after Atsushi while knowing that he was innocent. Though, this still didn't quell the indignation that Hisashi felt in Atsushi's stead. "But from what you said, it sounds like their purpose changed," Hisashi pointed out as he resumed stroking Atsushi's hair.

"Partly," Atsushi nodded, adjusting his position to make himself more comfortable. "Some began to think that if they were going to spend that much time in the forest, they might as well pick what they can find."

"So they were stealing from us," Hisashi muttered as anger smouldered in the pit of his stomach. How dare they act so self-righteous when they had something to be guilty of. “They were stealing from us  _ and _ hunting you because of their poultry.”

“But I didn’t hunt their birds,” Atsushi whined again, burying his face in Hisashi's chest once more.

“Then, why were you in the village?”

“I stayed away but they’ve been chasing after me every time they saw me,” Atsushi elaborated as frustration crept into his voice. “And today… they forced me out into the open, into the village,” he went on. “I thought I could escape through the roofs but I guess they had me in the wrong part of the village…”

Humming as he nodded, Hisashi asked, "What were you going to do?"

"Wait it out," Atsushi muttered, shrugging as he sat up. Head still bowed, Atsushi fidgeted with his fingers and added, "Maybe they'll get bored and give up."

"It didn't look like they were ever going to give up, Atsushi."

"It's only a matter of time."

"Atsushi, they wanted your pelt," Hisashi reminded, his tone turning harsh as he felt anger flaring up again at the memory of the farmer's words.

"There's no way they will get it," Atsushi retorted with a haughty toss of his head as he turned away from Hisashi.

"Atsushi, you-!" Hisashi scowled but held his tongue. Gritting his teeth, he let out a frustrated exhale and clenched his fists. This wasn't Atsushi's fault. Getting angry at him wouldn't help.  Hisashi took a moment to take several deep breaths before he continued, "How did you expect to get yourself out of that situation? Grow big? Crush everything in your way? Even I can't salvage the situation if you do that-"

"I didn't ask you to get involved, did I?" Atsushi snapped, golden eyes flashing as they met Hisashi's own dark brown.

Stung by Atsushi's words, Hisashi flinched and drew back. Although, he couldn't really move with Atsushi still sitting on him. "Then what would you rather me do?" Hisashi asked quietly, struggling and failing to mask his hurt. "Leave you alone? Keep my eyes closed to whatever happens to you?"

"I didn't mean like that," Atsushi muttered with what sounded like a hint of remorse in his voice.

"Then what _do_ you mean?"

Atsushi was quiet for a while as if contemplating. Hisashi wasn't sure what he was thinking about but there was a palpable tension in the air. It made him uncomfortable.

"I need to know," Atsushi finally spoke, "I need to know, Hisashi." He looked up, jaw tense as he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Stay," Hisashi answered immediately. This was the surest way to keep Atsushi safe. "Even if just for a while. Until everything blows over," he added.

“How sure are you that you want me to-”

“Atsushi,” Hisashi interrupted with an exasperated huff. “This is the second time I’m asking you to stay. How else do I show you that I  _ am _ sure?”

Atsushi was quiet again, his voice hesitant and soft as he asked, “I can stay?”

“As long as you want,” Hisashi replied, softening his tone. Clasping Atsushi’s hand in his, he added, “Please.”

“Why?” Atsushi asked, his eyes fixed on Hisashi’s hand.

“I… Honestly, I missed having you around,” Hisashi mumbled, forcing the words out past his sudden bout of nerves. He didn't expect Atsushi to ask him this question and oddly enough, answering it was harder than Hisashi expected. While searching for words, he suddenly recalled something else he knew he needed to say.

“And I never actually backed out of our agreement,” Hisashi added quickly as he recalled the days following Atsushi's last visit. “I kept hoping you’d come back and let me set things right but…”

“You still wish to pledge your soul… no, spirit… I think… to me?” Atsushi asked, eyes large and surprise evident in his voice even as he tried to correct himself.

"I mean, well…" Hisashi felt as if his heart was racing in the back of his throat. "You're very… devoted, and um… Well, I don't think it's a bad thing?"

As Hisashi struggled with his words, Atsushi drew closer. Placing a hand on Hisashi's chest, Atsushi cupped his cheek with the other to tilt Hisashi's face towards him to give him a soft peck on the lips.

Taken by surprise, Hisashi froze. He could feel his cheeks warming rapidly as Atsushi looked into his eyes and said, "It's fine. I get it."

"Uh-mn." The weird shaky noise was all Hisashi could manage before Atsushi kissed him again.

This time, Hisashi clasped Atsushi's hand on his chest as Atsushi pressed his body closer. There was a churning in Hisashi's stomach, something which seemed like nervousness but at the same time, he found himself holding Atsushi tighter as he felt Atsushi's other hand slid over his shoulder to hug him back.

Hisashi couldn't quite tell exactly what it was he felt for the being, but this was nice. He liked holding Atsushi. He liked having Atsushi this close to him. He liked feeling the tickle of Atsushi's hair brushing against his face. He liked hearing the soft rustle of Atsushi's cool-to-the-touch robes as the man moved.

Parting from their kiss, Hisashi opened his eyes to see Atsushi inches away from him, gazing at him with those brilliant golden irises of his. Hisashi felt another rush of heat on his face in response to their proximity and he looked away, only to end up admiring Atsushi's strong jawline, his soft lips, his sharp cheekbones, aquiline nose, before finally meeting his eyes again.

Out of nowhere, a flash of worry flitted across Atsushi's face. Hisashi frowned, confused. But before he could ask Atsushi twisted around to glance at the front door behind him and the next thing Hisashi knew, Atsushi was once again a big ball of fur curled up in his lap.

The scrape of footsteps reached Hisashi's ears, growing louder as someone approached the house. Was that what got Atsushi worried and made him shift back into a cat? Humming to himself, Hisashi pressed his fingers through the soft fur. He picked Atsushi up from under his forelegs to look at him from his eye level. Hisashi pressed his lips thin and frowned at Atsushi, giving him a mildly reproachful look while Atsushi simply meowed back with an "ah".

When the footsteps stopped, Aunty's voice said, "Oh, you're home?"

Hisashi tilted his head to the side to look at the entrance behind Atsushi. "Good evening," he greeted. "Yes, I… thought of going into town with the others but… I don’t know if you’ve heard…” Hisashi held Atsushi up higher.

“Oh, yes,” Aunty nodded as she approached. “I see you’ve found your cat  _ and _ become the talk of the town.”

Hisashi sighed heavily at the news while Atsushi let out a soft meow.

“Well, aren’t you a dear?” Aunty beamed. Reaching out her hand, she gently scratched the top of Atsushi’s head. “You’re nothing like how the farmers described.”

“Huh,” Hisashi scoffed and lowered Atsushi back into his lap. “What are they calling him?”

“‘Feral’, for one,” Aunty said as she climbed the single step and went inside. “‘Vicious’ is another word they used.”

“How were they expecting him to react when they were chasing after him and cornering him and poking at him with their farming tools?” Hisashi grumbled, following Aunty to the hearth while Atsushi leapt out of Hisashi’s lap and trotted along.

“Well, they  _ were _ accusing it of killing their ducks and chickens,” Aunty relayed as she turned towards the side of the house and entered the kitchen.

Going with her, Hisashi scoffed again. “They don’t even have proof.”

Atsushi meowed in agreement.

Aunty looked down at Atsushi and hummed. “It probably didn’t help that your cat doesn’t look like it belongs to someone,” she said.

“Huh?”

“It looks wild,” Aunty clarified, pressing her lips thin as she hummed again. “Its size doesn’t help either.”

Atsushi made a rough noise with his throat. He sounded disgruntled.

Reaching into her sleeve, Aunty crouched down to meet Atsushi at eye level and asked, “Did you name it, dear?”

“Acchan,” Hisashi answered with the first name he gave Atsushi. “For the way that he meows,” he added.

As if in an effort to prove it, Atsushi let out a soft, pleasant ‘ah’.

“Ah, Acchan,” Aunty smiled and patted his head as she took out a deep red furoshiki from her sleeve. Folding it into half to make a triangle, she put it on her lap and rolled it up, saying, “Now, I wonder if Acchan will like my gift.”

“Gift?” Hisashi echoed as he leaned against the wall to his side. He wasn’t sure what Aunty was thinking of, but he was glad that she was getting along with Atsushi. That she wasn’t hostile to him despite hearing what the other villagers had to say was a blessing.

“If it decides to go outside on its own again,” Aunty brought the band of cloth over Atsushi’s head and tied a small bow in front, “this should make it obvious that this cat is no wild animal.”

Atsushi tilted his head left and right as Aunty adjusted the band of cloth at his neck.

“Is it too loose?” Aunty asked.

Atsushi meowed.

“I hope this isn’t too tight.”

Atsushi meowed again.

Hisashi raised a sceptical eyebrow as he watched their exchange. Atsushi’s meows didn’t seem particularly directive nor helpful but Aunty acted as if it meant something all the same. Or was Atsushi really saying something to her?

As if aware of what went through Hisashi’s mind, Atsushi dropped his head back and looked at him with those big golden eyes.

“What?” Hisashi asked with a jerk of his head.

Atsushi let out a long meow and rolled his head back to face the front again. It did nothing but made Hisashi chuckle but Aunty took it as a cue that Atsushi was done with this business.

Patting Atsushi’s head again, Aunty stood up and placed her hands on her hips, asking, “What do you think? You like it, Acchan?”

Atsushi turned around to face Hisashi as if showing him what the accessory looked like from the front. Frankly, Hisashi thought the red went well with Atsushi’s rosettes on his back and it stood out from his lighter sand-coloured fur quite nicely. But all he said was, “You’re not as dashing as you think you look.”

Immediately, Atsushi scowled and hissed at Hisashi.

“Oh, come on. It looks lovely,” Aunty cooed. That got Atsushi hopping to her to weave between her legs and rub himself all over. “Look at how happy it is,” she added, patting Atsushi’s body.

“He’s just happy he’s getting complimented,” Hisashi said, jokingly rolling his eyes.

“Who wouldn’t be?” Aunty said nonchalantly. After patting Atsushi a few more times, she eventually said, “Now both of you go outside, I need to start preparing your dinners.”

“Dinners?” Hisashi raised his eyebrows. “You’re making him dinner?” he asked, gesturing at Atsushi who now stood next to him with his fluffy tail, or rather, coiled up tails high up in the air.

“Do you like carp, Acchan?” Aunty asked, completely ignoring Hisashi.

Atsushi meowed happily while Hisashi furrowed his brow at the cat and whispered, “Do you actually need to eat that?”

“Good, good, now run along,” Aunty said with a kindly nod and a smile all while chasing them out of the kitchen.

Atsushi ran ahead disappearing into the back of the house in a blur. Seeing him run off so quickly gave Hisashi a jolt of panic. What if, despite everything, Atsushi meant to escape again through some opening in the back? He wasn’t even sure that he had closed all the windows and doors.

“Atsushi!” Hisashi hissed as he ran after the cat. He really hoped that slipping out was what Atsushi intended. He knew that it would be easy for Atsushi to get rid of the ‘collar’ which Aunty put on him if he actually didn't like it. And that would leave Atsushi susceptible to another case of mistaken identity, deliberate or not. Hisashi _really_ didn't like the implications of those possibilities.

As soon as he turned the bend and went into the corridor leading deeper into the house, Hisashi saw a gap in the sliding door to his room. Was that where Atsushi went? Upon reaching the door, he shoved the door aside with a loud snap and saw light streaming into the room through another gap in the sliding doors separating his room from the side garden outside.

Hisashi felt his stomach sink. Atsushi couldn’t have already left so quickly, could he?

As if answering his question, a loud meow came from the engawa outside, followed by the showing of a paw placed on the side of the sliding door. Immediately, Hisashi felt his mood lift. Atsushi was still here. Relieved, Hisashi shuffled across the room and pushed the door open wider. Lounging outside was Atsushi, still in his cat form as he rolled onto his back and meowed at Hisashi again.

Noticing his kiseru lying next to Atsushi, Hisashi sighed and sat down. “I thought you ran away again,” he said with an unintentional glum-sounding tone as he picked up the kiseru.

Hisashi peered into the bowl and saw a ball of tobacco already rolled inside. Strange. He didn’t remember putting that in. A weight on his lap told Hisashi that Atsushi had climbed onto him again but the moment Hisashi turned his attention to Atsushi, he was headbutted in the chin by Atsushi.

“Argh!” Hisashi almost fell backwards from the impact. Rubbing his chin as he sat back up, he muttered, “What was that for?”

Atsushi’s head came towards Hisashi again but this time, Atsushi merely rubbed his face against Hisashi’s.

_ I’m not going anywhere, you idiot _ , Atsushi’s voice huffed softly in his mind.

“Huh,” Hisashi grunted as he put an arm around the cat. It was definitely weird to have Atsushi’s voice in his head, but if he was this close, Hisashi could pretend Atsushi was whispering to him. Or, at least, he felt better if he was hugging the cat and burying his face in the fur.

_ And that was for implying I don’t look good. _

“Mmh,” Hisashi hummed and lifted his face from Atsushi’s fur.

With Atsushi lying belly up in his arms now, Hisashi saw the invitingly soft, fluffy fur covering Atsushi’s stomach. Bending over without a second thought, Hisashi planted his face in the fur. It was as soft as he imagined it to be and he enjoyed rubbing his face in it even as Atsushi’s limbs clamped onto his head.

“Yeah, you don’t look good,” Hisashi mumbled into Atsushi’s belly while Atsushi let out an offended yowl. “You look absolutely charming,” Hisashi added.

_ Liar. _

Looking up, Hisashi huffed a smile and said, “It suits you, the furoshiki.”

For a long moment, Atsushi’s unblinking stare held Hisashi’s gaze. It felt as if Atsushi was searching Hisashi’s eyes for hints of a tease. Of course, Hisashi could tell him that he meant what he said, but Atsushi would likely prefer to figure that out for himself.

Eventually, Atsushi blinked a few times and murmured,  _ Adjust my bow for me. _

A smile tugged at the corner of Hisashi’s lips as he lowered Atsushi onto his legs and centred the knot that Aunty made once more. But when Hisashi withdrew his hand, Atsushi grabbed it with his paws and vocalised a noise which sounded like ‘no’.

“Huh? What is it?” Hisashi asked.

Atsushi used his paws to awkwardly put Hisashi’s hand back on the collar and then pushed his hand sideways.  _ On the back of my neck _ , he specified.

"Oh." Hisashi turned the knot around while Atsushi flopped over.

As Hisashi made small adjustments to the bow, Atsushi kept waving his tail in Hisashi's face, occasionally brushing against his cheeks and neck. Once done, Hisashi ran his hands down Atsushi's fluffy body and patted him.

"Satisfied?" Hisashi asked, twirling his kiseru around to bring the mouthpiece to his lips.

Atsushi turned his head around and looked up at Hisashi.  _ How do I look? _

Hisashi turned to the side as he lit the tobacco in the bowl. Breathing in to get it smouldering, he looked at Atsushi out of the corner of his eyes. He took his time to answer, quietly admiring Atsushi’s sleek yet fluffy form lounging in his lap with his tails curled around him.

Hisashi took his first puff from the kiseru. Letting out a long exhale, he met Atsushi’s eyes past the fog of smoke and muttered, “You look gorgeous.”

Hisashi thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Atsushi’s face before the cat turned away to rest his head on his paws. Instead of saying something back, Atsushi started purring in Hisashi’s lap. Hisashi smiled to himself and took in breath through the kiseru. Atsushi seemed pleased and that was all the answer he needed.


	19. 19

"Ahh, that fish sure was nice," Atsushi sighed blissfully as he stretched his arms out above him and slid a little lower into the bathwater.

"You didn't really have to eat that, did you?" Hisashi grumbled. Legs crossed with his knees to his chest, he ended up squeezing himself into the opposite side of the bath while Atsush lay relaxed. This wasn't what Hisashi expected when Atsushi said he wanted to join him.

"No, but it was nice," Atsushi answered cheerily, as if oblivious to Hisashi's discomfort.

Hisashi glanced at the man across from him before quickly averting his eyes again. It was awkward sitting like this, but the last time he let his eyes rest too long on Atsushi at the hot springs, he had been labelled a ‘pervert’. He could do without being name-called today.

“I guess your condition’s back to normal, then?” Hisashi asked, trying to fill the silence in the bathhouse with something.

Atsushi cocked his head to one side. “My condition?”

“Um, well.” Hisashi scratched the back of his head and squinted his eyes while he tried to recall the memory. “The last time I saw you, that wolf guy said something about you being too exhausted…”

“That ‘wolf guy’ is Hidehiko,” Atsushi corrected with a waggle of his finger. “And yes, I have recovered, if that’s what you’re asking,” he went on. “You won’t have to see the claws and the ears and the tails anymore,” Atsushi said, wiggling his fingers around before shooting a suggestive look at Hisashi. “Unless you want to?”

“Not particularly,” Hisashi muttered as he stared out of the small window with his head in his hand, arm bent at the elbow. There wasn’t much to look at though, just more trees in the dimming daylight.

“Then why’d you ask?” Atsushi questioned.

“Curious,” Hisashi answered flatly. “Come to think of it, what did that Hidehiko feed you?”

“Energy,” Atsushi replied. “Pure energy.”

“Where did he get that from?” Hisashi asked.

“You’ll have to ask him yourself,” Atsushi responded with a shrug. “After all, I remained in that cave until I got a better hold over myself.”

“Then… where would you normally get it from?”

“Anywhere where there is life,” Atsushi said vaguely. “Because anything that is alive has energy, doesn’t it?”

“So,” Hisashi furrowed his brow as he cast Atsushi a glance. “Is it similar to what you’d take from me?”

“Mhm,” Atsushi nodded. “But it can come from animals too, and plants.”

“Plants?”

“The energy they have is minimal, but in an emergency, a tree or two can help,” Atsushi elaborated.

“Hm.” Hisashi cast his gaze back outside as he considered what Atsushi had just shared. It would make sense for beings like him to dwell in forested areas then. After all, it would be a disaster if there was an ‘emergency’ and people were the only sources available for Atsushi to restore his energy with. Although, Hisashi couldn’t quite fathom what kind of situation would qualify as an ‘emergency’ for Atsushi.

“You’re thinking,” Atsushi suddenly stated, his tone unreadable.

“Mhm,” Hisashi hummed, covering his mouth with his hand.

“What is it?”

“Well… I just thought… I can see why you’d be reluctant to stay with me,” Hisashi mumbled. “If your emergency occurs and I’m your only possible source of energy…”

“Don’t you worry about a thousand-year-old cat like me,” Atsushi said with a wide smile. “I’ll manage my energy levels just fine, but if they do get low, I promise I won’t suck you dry,” he added with a soft chuckle. “After all, you’re supposed to be my indulgence.”

"Indulgence, huh," Hisashi muttered. Daring another glance at Atsushi, he felt a slight jolt of surprise when he caught Atsushi's steady gaze watching him intently. Hisashi's eyes darted back to fix on the scenery outside as he silently willed himself to calm down.

"Shifty eyes, shifty eyes," Atsushi sang softly. "Won't you look at me, shifty eyes?"

Hisashi could feel the currents of the water as Atsushi moved, presumably to come closer into Hisashi's already cramped space. Letting out a deep sigh, Hisashi tucked his legs closer to himself and said, "No thanks."

"Why not?" Atsushi chuckled, sliding his hand up along Hisashi's shin. "You have no qualms with looking at me when I'm a cat," he pointed out. Interlocking his fingers with Hisashi's, Atsushi took his hand and put it on his shoulder, adding, "Nor do you have qualms about touching me all over."

"That's different," Hisashi muttered, suppressing a shudder as Atsushi gently pried his legs apart to lean closer.

"How is it any different when it's the same person in question?" Atsushi teased, warm fingers creeping over Hisashi's skin.

Deciding that he should probably do something rather than simply sit here and leave it all up to Atsushi's whims, Hisashi abruptly stood up and stepped out of the bath. "I'm done here," he said stiffly as he grabbed a towel and hastily wiped himself dry. "I'm going back into the house," he announced while dressing.

"Mm, then there's no point for me to stay here, is there?" Atsushi remarked with a hint of dejection in his voice.

"Well, that's completely up to you," Hisashi replied, glancing over his shoulder to look at Atsushi. But instead, the man had disappeared. Hisashi frowned. He didn't hear Atsushi move. Where did he go?

"It is," Atsushi agreed, his voice soft as it came from the entrance of the bathhouse.

Hisashi snapped his head around, and there Atsushi was, still in his human form, already dressed and waiting. Pressing his lips thin, Hisashi huffed, unamused by Atsushi's disappearing act, however brief.

"And I say there's no point remaining if you're going to leave me alone," Atsushi continued with a smile.

"If you say so," Hisashi mumbled, his frown refusing to leave as he fastened his waist belt.

Tying his hair up, Hisashi sidestepped Atsushi and walked out of the bathhouse without looking at the man. As they made their way back, he could feel Atsushi's intense gaze on him. It was unusual that Atsushi had not shapeshifted into his cat form, but Hisashi supposed that since it was now dark and Aunty had already left, there wouldn’t be anyone close enough to see Atsushi. And this meant that they were effectively alone. That was probably why Atsushi chose to walk in the open with Hisashi in this human form of his. After all, Hisashi got the feeling that Atsushi never intended for others to see this version of him.

But even if Atsushi was comfortable, Hisashi wasn't. In fact, the tension that Hisashi felt when Atsushi suddenly stripped and hopped to the bath with him still lingered and it only grew stronger when Atsushi slid closer just now. Hisashi sighed, clenching his jaw as he resisted the urge to press his hand against his chest to relieve his nerves.

Instead of going to the front entrance, Hisashi went around the back to cut straight to the engawa outside his room. He could hear the soft rustle of Atsushi's clothes as the being followed without a word. Even if he could hear Atsushi, Hisashi felt an urge to glance over his shoulder; he just needed to know for sure that Atsushi was there.

When he looked, Hisashi once again caught Atsushi's wistful gaze watching him. But it lingered just for a fleeting moment before it was quickly wiped off and replaced by Atsushi's usual pleasant smile.

"Yes?" Atsushi asked as Hisashi turned back to face the front.

"Nothing,” Hisashi mumbled, approaching his room. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat. “I just wondered if…"

"If I'm still here?"

"Or if you've left," Hisashi said, stepping up onto the engawa to push the sliding door aside and enter his pitch-black room.

"I really wonder," Atsushi's voice drifted, following Hisashi in, "why do you want me to stay so badly when I get the sense that you don't quite seem to want me around?"

"I do!" Hisashi exclaimed, eyes wide with alarm as he spun around to face Atsushi. Seeing the being’s ethereal form lit by the moonlight streaming through the gap in the doors, Hisashi wondered, was Atsushi looking for an excuse to leave again? He had only been back for a few hours, yet…

Fidgeting with a lock of his hair, Atsushi twirled it between his fingers as he said, “Then, why are you so uncomfortable around me?”

"I…" Hisashi paused. He should've known that Atsushi would pick up on it.

"Don't deny it," Atsushi said, letting his hair fall from his fingers as he stepped forward. "When I come closer," he reached an open palm towards Hisashi who instinctively held his breath in apprehension, "you tense up," Atsushi finished.

Hisashi's eyes darted to the floor, unable to meet Atsushi's gaze as he exhaled and forced himself to breathe deeply in an attempt to slow his heartbeat. Was he being that obvious?

"You can't relax around me, can you? Neither will you hold me," Atsushi muttered, moving closer with downcast eyes. "Not unless I'm a fluffy cat."

"That's not-"

"Or I'm upset," Atsushi added, eyes large as he looked up at Hisashi.

“It’s not like that,” Hisashi denied with a shake of his head. Did Atsushi take offence when he tried to put distance between them just now? “I… I just didn’t expect you to come into the bath,” he sighed, sitting down on the floor with a chagrined grimace. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but… isn’t it the norm in your culture to bathe together?” Atsushi asked, dropping to his knees before shifting to sit by Hisashi with his legs to the side.

Hisashi sighed again, “It is, but…”

“You’re not comfortable with me,” Atsushi finished.

“No! I mean-!” Hisashi cringed at himself. Why was he so bad at this?

“Hisashi?” Atsushi prompted with an unreadable look in his eyes.

“Earlier… Earlier you said you got what I was trying to say,” Hisashi recalled. Turning to Atsushi, he asked, “What did you get?”

“I got a sense that you fancied me,” Atsushi replied with a wane smile before shifting his gaze to the floor. “But judging from the way you’ve been reacting to me… I guess I might have misunderstood.”

Hisashi felt his face warm up. Was that why Atsushi initiated the kisses just now? Although he couldn’t deny that Atsushi’s intuition was right, Hisashi wasn’t sure exactly about his feelings for Atsushi; if it was just a fleeting one or perhaps something more. At the same time, even if he was sure and Atsushi reciprocated, he didn’t know how to handle this. After all, Atsushi wasn’t exactly human.

After a long silence, Hisashi muttered, “I don’t mean to-”

“Mislead?” Atsushi assumed.

“No!” Hisashi denied, holding back on the harshness of his tone. “I mean, I never intended to confuse you like this but I honestly just don’t know what to do with… all this…” Hisashi gestured wildly as he struggled to find the words but in the end, he gave up and ended his sentence with a frustrated sigh.

“With what?” Atsushi asked, letting his hair fall over his shoulder as he tilted his head to the side and looked up at Hisashi with a perplexed expression.

When Hisashi turned to Atsushi, their eyes met and Hisashi found himself struck by Atsushi’s large soulful eyes. He froze as his breath caught in his throat and he felt his heart start racing again. But a mere moment later, fuelled by an irresistible impulse, Hisashi reached out and wrapped his arms around Atsushi, pulling him in to press Atsushi’s ear against his chest.

“W-with this,” Hisashi finally answered, his voice barely a whisper as his nerves constricted his throat. He hoped that Atsushi could hear the thundering in his chest, but just having Atsushi this close made his face heat up again.

The silence which ensued was nerve-wracking. Hisashi couldn't guess how Atsushi would react to this. Would he be repulsed? Atsushi had always been coquettish with him, but what if Hisashi had interpreted it wrong? After all, he couldn't see any reason why an immortal being like Atsushi would bother to develop some sort of deeper relationship with a regular person like him.

Eventually, Hisashi heard a soft gasp from Atsushi and his heart skipped a beat. What was Atsushi thinking of this? Maybe Hisashi should let Atsushi go. But just as Hisashi released his hold on Atsushi, Atsushi put his arms around Hisashi and hugged him back without a word.

Looking down at the man, Hisashi mumbled with surprise, "Atsushi?"

Atsushi tilted his head up in response, eyes full of relief as he whispered, "Thank goodness."

The next thing Hisashi knew, Atsushi's lips were once again pressed against his own. He felt himself falling backwards, dropping onto the tatami floor as Atsushi leaned his weight into him.

Their kiss growing deeper, Hisashi lay on the ground with Atsushi on top of him, straddling him. He could feel Atsushi grinding against his growing erection while Atsushi's hands wandered and fidgeted with the fabric of his clothes. Taking his cue from the being, Hisashi started to rub circles on Atsushi's back, caressing him as he relished the coolness of the fabric in the humid summer heat. The moment Atsushi's finger slipped under his clothes, though, Hisashi gasped with surprise and the kiss ended.

Opening his eyes, Hisashi saw a worried look on Atsushi's face as he asked softly, "Was that too much?"

"I… wasn't expecting that," Hisashi admitted, looking away sheepishly.

"Is it my form?" Atsushi asked. "Is it because I'm male?"

"What?" Hisashi blurted, confused. Where was this coming from?

"If you want," Atsushi took hold of Hisashi's hand and put his palm to his chest, "I can… fix that."

Hisashi's eyes widened as he felt a soft breast filling his hand. His mind went blank from his bewilderment. He didn't know what to think. He knew Atsushi could shapeshift but this was far beyond his imagination.

"No," said Hisashi suddenly. He didn't like this. "No, this…"

"It's not a problem for me," Atsushi breathed. When he gyrated his hips, Hisashi realised that he couldn't feel Atsushi's erection any more.

Hisashi shook his head mutely, rejecting the notion despite being utterly confused by this turn of events. “I don’t…” This isn’t what he wanted. He removed his hand from Atsushi’s ample bosom and grabbed Atsushi by the shoulders. Meeting Atsushi’s eyes, he managed, “This isn’t what I want.”

“Huh?” Atsushi froze.

“You… You’re fine as you are,” Hisashi went on. ‘So, please. Please go back to your usual self.”

“You don’t… You don’t desire a woman?”

“No,” Hisashi shook his head again, this time, vigorously. “It wasn’t a woman who caught my fancy, was it?” he pointed out as he cupped Atsushi’s cheek in his hand.

Atsushi seemed to be taken aback as he uttered a soft ‘oh’. He drew away, sitting up as he looked away. Hisashi noticed that physically, Atsushi had already reverted to his flat-chested form, but his behaviour was nothing like his usual tendencies. With his typically cocky and self-assured way nowhere to be found, Hisashi supposed that this might just be the first time he had ever seen any form of flustering in Atsushi.

Emboldened, Hisashi, too, sat up as he reached for Atsushi who looked startled by Hisashi's move. Holding the being in his arms, Hisashi rolled over, switching their positions and pinning Atsushi to the floor instead. He heard a soft sigh from Atsushi as he snaked an arm around Atsushi's slender waist. Briefly meeting Atsushi's half-lidded eyes, Hisashi dropped down and kissed him, eliciting a quiet hum from Atsushi as he wrapped his arms around Hisashi.

Hisashi tilted his head sideways, his mouth leaving Atsushi's lips to nibble Atsushi's earlobe before shifting down to gently bite his neck. Atsushi let out a weak 'ah' in response and jerked his hips, breathlessly grinding himself against Hisashi as Hisashi proceeded to slide Atsushi's robes off his shoulder.

Suddenly, Atsushi snapped out of the heady exhilaration he had been showing and shoved Hisashi off in a panic. In an instant, Atsushi shifted back into a cat and ran away into a corner to face the wall.

Hisashi felt his chest ache from the abrupt rejection but before he could ask what happened, he heard footsteps and a couple of loud, rowdy voices entering the house. Immediately, he understood; they were no longer alone.

Hearing the voices and sloppy steps approach, Hisashi scrunched up his face and groaned. What were those two doing coming back so early? Getting to his feet, Hisashi shuffled over to Atsushi’s corner and coaxed his fingers around Atsushi’s tightly wound up body.

As Hisashi was picking a reluctant Atsushi up, his door snapped open and the riotous sound of Honma’s voice assaulted his ears, “Imai! I got your sake!!”

“Why are you back so early? It’s barely a couple of hours past sunset,” Hisashi grumbled as he stuffed Atsushi into his yukata. He heard a soft whine from Atsushi when he did so, but Hisashi couldn’t tell if it was out of protest or complaint. Regardless, Hisashi scratched Atsushi’s head protruding out of his clothes with a finger as he went towards Honma, who hung by a chagrined Yokoyama’s shoulders.

“Technically, it’s four hours past,” Yokoyama corrected as he struggled to keep Honma upright. “But as you can see, he’s…”

“Wasted,” Hisashi finished flatly.

“Yeah,” Yokoyama sighed. “I figured it would be better to bring him back before he can’t even walk, so I told him-”

“Now, open it,” Honma slurred, holding the sealed bottle out for Hisashi. “Open it and let’s drink.”

“That…” Yokoyama finished with an apologetic smile. “I convinced him to come back and have you drink with us.”

Hisashi looked down at the cat curled up against his chest and saw Atsushi’s tiny furrowed brow. He didn’t know cats could look disgruntled, but hey, this was Atsushi after all. But considering the situation, he could understand why Atsushi wasn’t too fond of the idea of having guests around. But Hisashi couldn’t say no and kick them all out, could he?

“What were you doing in the dark anyway?” Yokoyama asked, looking around at the unlit room while Honma dozed off.  It was amazing that he didn't drop the bottle when he did.

“Playing with him,” Hisashi answered, rocking the bulge in his clothes that was Atsushi. Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie, was it?

“You can see?” Yokoyama muttered incredulously. 

“I didn’t notice the sky turning dark,” Hisashi said with a shrug. “And the moon’s pretty bright tonight.”

“Huh.”

“Where’s my drink?!” Honma suddenly exclaimed, shaking the bottle in his hand.

“I’m opening it!” Hisashi snapped, startled by him.

“Let’s go to the hearth,” Yokoyama suggested as he dragged Honma out of Hisashi’s room. “Don’t want to risk making a mess where you sleep, do we?”

“You’re right,” Hisashi sighed, following the two of them reluctantly. Looking down, he exchanged a weary look with Atsushi before sighing again. This was going to be a long night.


	20. 20

Hisashi bent down and dug his fingers into the dirt, worming in to reach below the surface and pull out the prized kudzu root. As he hacked off the stems growing out of it and brushed away the excess soil, he could feel Atsushi's dainty footsteps on his back, balancing and shifting around while Hisashi worked.

"Here." Yokoyama appeared next to Hisashi and handed him a couple of roots. When Hisashi took them from him and stood up, Yokoyama asked, "You're really alright with working this hard? Shouldn't you take a break and rest your back?" 

"Yeah, it's alright," Hisashi shrugged.

"Really?" Yokoyama muttered with an incredulous look in his eye. "Sure you're not pushing yourself because your brother's returning tomorrow?"

"I'm fine," Hisashi assured, lightly slapping Yokoyama on his upper arm as he walked past. His back should, by all reasons, hurt from all this, but with Atsushi around to help him with that, it didn't bother him at all.

Since Atsushi's return some days ago, the being had been accompanying Hisashi wherever he went, riding on his shoulders, or in his bag, or the front of his clothes as they moved. Everyone, well, Yokoyama and Honma pointed out that this was unusual behaviour coming from a cat, saying things like, "cats aren't this clingy," or, "cats don't get this attached to people," but Hisashi could only shrug and brush it off. He thought so too, but Atsushi wasn't just any cat. Not that he could tell anyone.

As Atsushi settled around Hisashi shoulders once more, they moved off from this particular patch of the forest. It was time to look for a new one. Guided by the flicking of Atsushi's tail, they trekked through the mountain in silence. Atsushi expressed his frustration with Hisashi's aimless wandering a couple of days ago and decided to lead the way in future. Needless to say, he was a great help.

"Hey, Imai, I was going to ask," Yokoyama suddenly spoke.

"Yeah?"

"So, last night," Yokoyama began, "I woke up in the middle of the night. So, I thought of visiting the bathroom before going back to sleep. And I passed your room on the way…"

"And?" Hisashi prompted, half-listening to Yokoyama while focusing on Atsushi's directions.

"You know… I thought I heard a voice coming from your room last night."

"Huh?" Hisashi froze, momentarily paralysed by a spike of worry. Did Yokoyama hear Atsushi? Then again, were they talking last night? Resisting the urge to look at Atsushi, Hisashi masked his nerves behind a cynical frown as he turned around and looked at Yokoyama in the eye. “You heard what?”

“A voice,” Yokoyama repeated. “It sounded like-”

“Huh, I didn’t know I sleep talk,” Hisashi interrupted, raising his own excuse of a conclusion to try and throw Yokoyama off as he turned and continued on his way.

“You sleep talk?” Yokoyama asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Hisashi shrugged. “Not as if I normally have anyone else around to listen to me while I sleep.”

“Hrm, no… That’s not it,” Yokoyama muttered, dismissing Hisashi’s statements with a growling hum.

“What’s not it?” Hisashi asked as he felt an uneasiness in his stomach again.

“I don’t think you were sleeptalking,” Yokoyama said frankly.

Stopping in his tracks, Hisashi looked over his shoulder at Yokoyama, furrowed his brow, and said, “It doesn’t make sense that you’d hear a voice in my room, then.”

“It doesn’t,” Yokoyama agreed, folding his arms and touching a hand to his chin. “Which is why I wanted to ask you about it.”

His uneasiness growing, Hisashi tried to brush off Yokoyama’s hunch as he huffed and said, “Well, I wouldn’t know, would I? Since I was asleep.”

“Are you  _ sure _ you were asleep?” Yokoyama questioned, squinting his eyes with suspicion.

“What?” Hisashi muttered, vaguely aware of Atsushi changing positions to sit on his right shoulder instead.

“Are you sure it’s not a nightly visitor of yours?”

“Wait, what?” Hisashi sputtered, perplexed. Did Yokoyama see Atsushi? Had he caught on? “Why are you asking me this?” Hisashi asked, feigning ignorance.

“Because the voice I heard last night most definitely did not belong to you,” Yokoyama revealed.

This time, Hisashi didn’t stop himself from looking at Atsushi with concern. As worried as Hisashi was, Atsushi looked more amused than perturbed by this turn of events,

“You probably just heard him vocalising then,” Hisashi said hastily, pointing to the cat.

“No, you were having a full-blown conversation,” Yokoyama stated with an unimpressed frown.

“I  _ do _ talk to Acchan-”

“Just admit it, Imai,” Yokoyama exasperated, rolling his eyes.

“Admit what?” Hisashi retorted, getting defensive.

“You have a lover, don’t you?”

Hisashi licked his lips and swallowed. How was he supposed to answer that? Was Atsushi considered a lover? Well, he wasn’t exactly one, was he? But what if Atsushi got offended when Hisashi denies it?

“You can’t fool me, Imai,” Yokoyama went on. “Ever since you brought your cat back, you haven’t been joining Honma and I for any of our evening outings. It’s as if you’ve found an excuse to stay home alone. You don’t expect me to really believe that you’d rather stay at home and play with your cat than go drinking with us, do you?”

Hisashi did, though, and although, Yokoyama wasn’t wrong… “But I do actually need to feed him,” he mumbled.

“I’m sure you can feed your cat at the izakaya too,” Yokoyama huffed.

Well, if it’s regular food, sure, but if Hisashi had to really feed Atsushi with actual sustenance… Sighing, Hisashi pressed his lips thin and looked at Atsushi, who simply smiled away. Whatever was Atsushi thinking about?

“You could bring her to the izakaya, you know?” Yokoyama suggested.

“Her?”

“Your lover.”

Oh, right. Hisashi scratched the back of his head with a bit of a grimace on his face. He felt trapped. Assuming Atsushi was agreeable to it, taking the being with him might be alright if no one suspected their relationship. But now, with Yokoyama convinced that Hisashi had a lover…

"No," Hisashi eventually answered, shaking his head. "I don't think-"

_ Say yes _ , Atsushi's voice suddenly whispered in Hisashi's ear as the fluffy bunch of tails tickled Hisashi's chin.

Hisashi froze and looked at Atsushi. Meeting his smiling golden eyes, Hisashi somehow dreaded what the being might be thinking of.

_ I will go. So, say yes, _ Atsushi repeated.

"You don't think what?" Yokoyama prompted.

"I don't think my… um, lover," Hisashi stumbled, "might be comfortable. But… I'll ask." 

"Well, I hope you'll join Honma and I at the izakaya tonight then," Yokoyama grinned.

"Tonight?!" 

"Yeah," Yokoyama nodded. "Honma and I are going to leave with your brother tomorrow, so tonight it is."

"Ah…" Hisashi grimaced. This was a little too sudden for his liking.

_ It's alright _ , Atsushi assured as he licked his paw.

Hisashi looked up at the cat and sighed.

"Why do you keep looking at your cat?" Yokoyama asked out of the blue.

"Hrm?" Hisashi turned to Yokoyama with a clueless look on his face. "Do I?" he asked back.

"Yeah," Yokoyama nodded again. "You keep glancing at it ever since I asked about your lover," he stated.

"Did I?" 

"As I said, if you're worried about it being alone, just bring it along."

"Oh, no," Hisashi quickly declined. Atsushi can't show up in his human form  _ and _ still let Hisashi have a cat accompany him. There would have to be two Atsushi's for that and that wasn't possible.

"No, no," Hisashi shook his head, reiterating his demurral. "No, Acchan will be fine. I'll just… feed him before heading over  _ if _ my… lover is willing," he said, emphasising that it was a mere possibility.

"So… you're suggesting that I go ahead and meet Honma first instead of waiting for you?" Yokoyama asked doubtfully.

"Well, I mean, I don't even know if he…" Hisashi cut himself short, appalled by his accidental revelation. Hoping that Yokoyama didn't catch it, he quickly said, "I mean,  _ she _ , if  _ she _ would be willing-"

"He?"

Hisashi felt that familiar sinking feeling in his stomach. "No, I said-"

"You said 'he', didn't you?" Yokoyama asked.

"I… uh…"

"So it's a nighttime friend you've got visiting, huh?" Yokoyama concluded as he folded his arms with a lopsided grin. "No wonder you sounded like you were having difficulties with calling him a lover."

"Uh… yeah…" Hisashi reluctantly agreed. That wasn't exactly the problem that Hisashi had, but if that's how Yokoyama saw it, he wasn't about to correct him. It was much easier like this after all.

Though from the flicking of Atsushi's tail, Hisashi could tell the being wasn't particularly pleased with this new assumption. He had a feeling that he was going to hear it from Atsushi later on. That is _if_ Atsushi didn't decide to throw a tantrum and disappear before they got home. Maybe it's better if they just went home as soon as possible.

"Hey, uh, you wanna head back down now?" Hisashi asked.

"Hm?" Yokoyama looked surprised. "Didn't you want to keep going?"

"I think I feel my back starting to act up again," Hisashi lied. "Besides, don't you want to let Honma know about tonight?" he asked.

"Well, it's not necessary but sure, if you say so," Yokoyama shrugged.

Nodding, Hisashi put a hand around Atsushi and took him off his shoulder to stuff him into the front of his clothes. He didn't want to risk having Atsushi hop off and slink off into the foliage. At least Atsushi didn't seem to mind. He looked quite content with Hisashi's firm hug as they made their way home.

Upon arrival at the foot of the mountain, Hisashi split ways with Yokoyama as the man left in search of Honma while Hisashi stayed behind to ‘feed Acchan and wait for his friend’. Atsushi had been quiet the whole way down, but once inside the house, he immediately leapt out of Hisashi’s yukata and shifted into his human form.

“Do you have clothes I can borrow?” Atsushi asked with a swish of his robes.

“What? Why?” Hisashi asked in return.

“I’m going into town with you, aren’t I?” Atsushi responded, giving Hisashi a sharp look.

“I thought you were joking,” Hisashi muttered as he put his satchel down. “I thought I’d just tell them you said no in the end.”

“Well, I’m serious about going,” Atsushi reiterated. “I’ll go and show them what close  _ friends _ we are,” he added with a slight huff.

Sitting on the floor, Hisashi looked up at Atsushi and sighed, “I thought you might get offended by that.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Atsushi snapped. “Can’t men be lovers?”

“It’s… not… normal,” Hisashi grimaced. As much as he hated it, that was the truth. “I mean, I’ve heard it was common in the past but it’s not widely accepted these days,” he went on.

“Doesn’t mean that others don’t partake in such relationships,” Atsushi retorted, folding his arms. “I can tell you with absolute certainty that Matsumoto has a thing going on and you won’t need three guesses to figure out with who.”

Hisashi folded his arms too as he looked straight at Atsushi. “I have an inkling but I don’t really want to know,” he said. “That’s his business, not ours.”

“I’m just giving you an example,” Atsushi huffed, looking away with a pout. “Now, lend me your clothes.”

“What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?” Hisashi questioned. He thought Atsushi looked fine as he was. Elegant, in fact.

“I’d stand out too much, wouldn’t I?” Atsushi pointed out. “This is a vast difference from what you wear.”

That was true. Actually, just Atsushi’s facial features and his hair would be enough to make him stand out, but Hisashi wasn’t too keen on making Atsushi change those. But his clothes… “Mm, I’ll find you something that isn’t mine,” Hisashi hummed as he stood up. “It’d be a bit too obvious that something isn’t right if you wore my clothes.”

“What do you mean?” Atsushi asked, following Hisashi as he wandered into the back of the house.

“Our builds are slightly different, so my clothes would look odd on you,” Hisashi explained as he entered the storeroom. “They’re made to fit, after all.”

“But… are there other clothes here?”

“My grandparents’, probably,” Hisashi answered, stopping in front of an old isho-dansu to open its drawers. “It’s all been kept quite nicely in here,” he added, carefully going through the old kimono. “I suppose a cotton one would be a little more normal,” he muttered to himself before asking Atsushi who was peering over his shoulder, “Any preferred colours?”

“Red,” Atsushi answered immediately.

Hisashi smiled to himself. “I should’ve guessed,” he remarked. “But something on the muted side might work better in this town…”

“Muted?”

“It’s still red but…” Hisashi pulled out a maroon yukata and fished out a white obi. This should match what Atsushi wore. Holding them up for the being, Hisashi asked, “This?” 

Atsushi nodded with an affirmative, “Mm!”

“I just hope it fits,” Hisashi mumbled, closing the drawers.

“We’ll make it work,” Atsushi assured, sounding especially pleased.

Nodding, Hisashi was about to leave the storeroom when he was suddenly hugged by Atsushi. Surprised, Hisashi stiffly put his arm around Atsushi to return the hug as the being rested his head on Hisashi’s shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

“What is this for?” Hisashi asked quietly. Even if he did hold Atsushi to sleep every night, getting hugged like this felt… unusual for him.

“Thank you,” Atsushi replied softly. “For accommodating me,” he added before giving Hisashi a peck on his cheek.

“Oh, um… You’re welcome, I guess. It’s nothing,” Hisashi mumbled. For some reason, Atsushi’s gratitude made him feel embarrassed.

Atsushi lifted his head and their eyes met. Hisashi found himself gazing at Atsushi for what felt like an eternity of a moment. He could feel himself getting drawn in by Atsushi’s lustrous golden gaze, coming closer and closer to Atsushi until their foreheads were pressed together. Soon enough, Hisashi found himself kissing the being, enjoying his sweetness and soft lips as he thought about how much he adored Atsushi’s presence in these moments.

“Are you home, Hisashi?” Aunty’s voice which called from the front of the house snapped them out of it.

Breaking their kiss, Hisashi gave Atsushi a surprised look as he answered with a steady voice, “Yes, I’m in the storeroom. Just looking around!”

As if stifling a giggle, Atsushi beamed at Hisashi before letting him go. Before Hisashi could react, Atsushi shrank into a cat and hopped out of the storeroom, leaving Hisashi alone. Hisashi sighed and followed the capricious being out. Oh well. That was it. For now.


End file.
